Russian Billionaire Installs Anti-Photo Yacht Shield

A Russian billionaire has installed a special anti-photo shield to thwart paparazzi and curious onlookers on his 557-foot boat, called the Eclipse. While the price tag was supposed to be settled at something substantially lower, the cost of the yacht has ballooned to $1.2 billion, with additions like two helipads, two swimming pools, a mini sub, and missile-proof windows.

If that sounds more or less standard for your billion-dollar yacht, there’s one more addition to get you drooling: Roman Abramovich also requested that a special shield, activated by a guard as necessary, be installed to keep some semblance of privacy in crowded areas. (How about a slightly smaller yacht? That might help, too.) The expensive shield uses lasers to sweep the area and picking up CCDs, then shooting a bolt of light to destroy the photo. Friend and family can still take pictures when the special shield is shut off, though.

Unsurprisingly, the paparazzi is not pleased.  [via wired]