Gear & Equipment

Robert Bess' Parabot Containment Chamber

Bess will debut his Parabot to the world during Ghost Adventures Live. According to the inventor, "Up until now, its existence has been little more than a rumor in the paranormal community."

The science behind the containment chamber is based on the theory that ghosts are able to harness, and move about as, electromagnetic (EM) fields in our dimension. However, because these spirits cycle at such a low rate, humans can't see them.

Bess designed his 8-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide Plexiglass Parabot -- fully equipped with electromagnets, lasers, sensors, internal and external digital thermometers, and magnetic locks -- to detect and capture these low-cycling energy fields.

The chamber is built on top of a robotic 3x3-foot platform with 4 wheels. Powered by two 8-pound lithium quartz batteries, it tops out at 25-30 mph and can pirouette on a dime. The chamber is remotely controlled, but it can be voice-activated if necessary.

If the EM sensors on the chamber detect an energy field, its doors open, and it moves in the direction of what it senses. Once it captures the energy in the chamber, the doors will shut and the massive 8-foot Tesla coil inside the unit produces 1.4 million watts of energy, "feeding" the EM field until it cycles at a far faster or higher rate, rendering the spirit visible.

Bess claims to have already captured all sorts of entities with his Parabot, including the fully formed, clearly visible spirit of a schoolteacher from the 1920s. Other times he's captured only orbs, a face, a head or other partial manifestations.

WARNING: Everything must be protected from the coil. Humans have magnetic fields, and the unit can't tell the difference between a live human and the spirit of a dead human. If someone were to touch the coil when it's on, they'd be in for a nasty shock.