Ever find yourself face-to-face with an alien or UFO just when you've left your paranormal detection equipment at home? If this happens to you a lot, and you wish that your equipment was smaller and more portable, this new Japanese invention may be the thing for you.

A company called Solid Alliance has come up with a UFO- and alien-detecting novelty device that's small enough to fit in your hand. Called the Yutan UFO detector, the device comes attached to a little blue alien charm and a cell phone strap. According to one of the sites that sell it, to find out if your friend is an alien, have him or her press the buttons on the top and underside of the device. If your friend is an alien, the device will beep and flash, giving you plenty of time to run away as fast as you can. To find out if there are any UFOs nearby, press the top button, and the device will beep and flash if you're about to have a close encounter. There's also an automatic mode, which checks for UFOs at regular intervals and flashes silently if there are any to be found.

Naturally, this device isn't much more than a flying saucer-shaped case for an electromagnetic field meter and a temperature gauge. But for $20, it's not a bad gift to send to a paranormal-loving friend or two.

[image courtesy of strapya-world.com]