Nonlethal -- Engadget

nonlethal posts

Laser Energetics' new light weapon puts you on the highway to the Dazer Zone

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted May 28th 2009 at 1:42AM

Are you looking to torment a neighbor / random passerby without the messy after-effects of traditional "just plain lethal" weapons? Perhaps you work for a law enforcement agency and you'd like to justify a budget increase by pouring cash into something vaguely futuristic. Or maybe you're a big city mayor with a "tough on crime" stance who'd rather not put any more money in social services. If so, we've found something both painful and cute sounding to add to your shopping list: Laser Energetics ("the total laser technology solutions company!") has just unveiled its new Dazer Laser less-than-lethal light fighting technology line. These bad boys operate at a range of up to 2400 meters (depending on the model), and work by emitting a green laser beam that fans out into a 1 x 8-foot "Dazer Zone." When focused on a person's eyes, his or her vision is temporarily impaired, their balance is effected, and they become overwhelmed by nausea. At the very least, this sounds much better than being microwaved, right?

[Via Test Freaks]

Raytheon developing compact, inexpensive human microwaves

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Apr 8th 2009 at 11:09AM

As you know, if you like your weapons "less than lethal" (but much more than comfortable) the U.S. military is your go-to guy. So great is its love for tormenting folks on future battlefields that the Pentagon has spent a small fortune on devices meant to incapacitate through the use of sound, electricity, and microwaves -- including the Silent Guardian that Raytheon trotted out a while back. According to Wired, the company has recently been awarded a couple interesting contracts relating to their human microwave, including one for a "solid state source for use in non-lethal weapons," and another for gallium nitride development. Details are murky, but GaN -- a semiconductor for missile defense radars -- apparently "looks very promising for high-power microwave amplification," allowing the company to greatly reduce the size and cost of the device. The good news? Defense technology that once took up a whole shipping container and cost several million dollars might be getting much smaller, and cheaper, in the future. The bad news? It really really really hurts.

Taser International's C2 taser on sale now

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 24th 2007 at 6:37PM

While we're not exactly sure whether to be pleased or concerned that Taser International recently posted record quarterly sales, the firm's C2 consumer stun gun is nevertheless hitting the market. As of this week, civilians who fear for their life or have severely rambunctious children can snap up the C2 at a number of retail locations, and those interested can look forward to wires that fire 15-feet and carry 50,000-volts in order to "temporarily incapacitate a person." Interestingly, Taser must know that there's quite a few proactive ladies that are pondering a purchase as well, as the consumer C2 will reportedly be available in a variety of colors -- including pink. Hurry it up, grab one before your friends do!

[Via Wired]

Details on Taser's XREP electric shotgun shell emerge

by Nilay Patel, posted Jul 10th 2007 at 3:49AM

We first saw Taser's XREP Extended Range Electro-Muscular Projectile shotgun shell when it was demoed to the military a little more than a year ago, and with the shells about to go into field testing, some more information is starting to come out. XREP projectiles fire out of a standard 12-gauge shotgun, deploying three fins for stability while they fly toward the target. Once they hit, the four barbs on the tip deliver enough juice to drop the unfortunate victim for about 20 seconds -- and if the perp tries to grap at the projectile and pull it off himself, the XREP's reflex engagement electrodes discharge through his hand, causing "overpowering Neuro Muscular Incapacitation." Field testing is expected to go on for six months to a year starting this fall -- would-be rioters had better get their kicks in soon.

Read - Taser XREP product page
Watch - Taser XREP promo video

iRobot and Taser to produce (non)lethal bots

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 28th 2007 at 8:11PM

Another day, another step towards the inevitable robotic resistance: iRobot and Taser announced plans today to collaborate on weapons-capable bots. The first model off the line will be the venerable Packbot Explorer, fitted with a Taser X26 stun gun, to be sold to police departments and the Pentagon. No plans are being made to develop robots capable of inflicting lethal force, according to the two companies, but given Taser's somewhat spotty reputation and the obvious demands of the military, we're beginning to trust our Roomba even less than before.