CES 2006: Tamper-proof wall outlets.

Koncept_plugsA lot of stuff new parents buy to make their home "child safe" ends up wasted. I've never used a lock on a toilette seat or a cushion on the side of a table and things have gone pretty smoothly in my house so far. One of the things it turns out that actually is useful are wall outlet covers. As much as you might try to convince yourself that your kid would never do something so dumb (and banal) as to play with an electrical outlet, it's pretty much a guarantee that he or she will find the one outlet in the room that isn't covered and try to put something into it.

Koncept Technologies has come up with something to eliminate the need for covers, while keeping everyone safe. Their "Tamper Resistant Child Safe Wall Outlets" (not exactly the catchiest name) block anything from getting in except a plug. One of the product guys showed me that if you even stick a screwdriver in one of the sides you can't get past the safety mechanism (the "Koncept Smart Shutter"), but a plug gets by without a problem. I guess if your kid has two flat-head screwdrivers you're in trouble, but then again, if your kid is wielding two screwdrivers around the house you were already in trouble to begin with.