The Thing (Great Seal bug)
Endovibrador
- Date
- 1945 · confidence high
- Place
- Moscow, Russia
- Credited to
- Leon Theremin
- Field
- Communication
What it is
Covert listening device with no internal power source, consisting of a capacitive membrane and a resonant antenna remotely activated with external electromagnetic energy; designed by Léon Theremin and hidden inside a Soviet diplomatic gift to the US ambassador in Moscow.
What it led to
- radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology
- passive eavesdropping devices in espionage
- battery-free communication systems
- modern passive electronic tags