News from all over - Cedarburg

A remote control invented by a Wisconsin man has been added to a device that lets people turn off their lights by clapping and is being test-marketed in several U.S. cities. "I've taken that to the next generation," Mark Grossmeyer, 51, said. "It's called The Clapper Plus."

The Clapper has been demonstrated in television commercials for years by a grey-haired lady who keeps forgetting to turn her light off before crawling into bed and uses the device to do so by clapping.

Company owner Joseph Pedott would like to broaden the product's appeal to a younger demographic and said the addition of the remote control, which operates from eight metres away, should help people who can't move around easily.