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Axon's latest Taser weapon calls police when fired
If you're in a dangerous-enough situation to fire a stun gun, you probably want help as soon as possible. Axon certainly thinks so, at least -- it's launching an upgraded version of the Taser Pulse, the Pulse+, that contacts police when you fire the weapon. Load an app from Noonlight on your phone and the new Taser can dispatch authorities to your location and give you the opportunity to speak to 911 if it's safe. Axon is betting the time savings will be vital in moments when you're either still in danger or are too shaken to make a call.
New York lawsuit aims to apply the Second Amendment to Tasers
The Firearms Policy Foundation and Matthew Avitabile are suing New York state over a regulation that outlaws the possession of electronic weapons including stun guns and Tasers. Avitabile happens to be the mayor of Middleburgh, New York, and he wants to buy a Taser or stun gun for his home, according to court documents filed over the weekend. His lawyers argue that the New York ban on owning stun guns is unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Watch a man get stunned by the Chaotic Unmanned Personal Intercept Drone (stun copter!)
You're gonna want to steer clear of this CUPID. The Chaotic Unmanned Personal Intercept Drone, or "stun copter," can deliver 80,000 volts of pure projectile terror directly into the skin of an ill-intentioned hoodlum. This is serious business for Chaotic Moon, the folks behind SharkPunch and the Pizza Hut touch table. The Austin-based design studio created the flying machine as a tech demo, but CUPID could be quickly brought to production whenever a personal security or law enforcement client sees fit. This prototype unit is based on a Tarot Hexacopter, originally designed to carry a digital SLR for video and aerial photo shoots. With a Phazzer Dragon on board, however, a few modifications made this an entirely different beast.
iPhone case with built-in stun gun protects both you and your phone
What's better than a shark with frickin' lasers? How about an iPhone case with a built-in stun gun! The Indiegogo-funded Yellow Jacket case (US$139.99 for the iPhone 4/4S case, iPhone 5 version is on the way) packs a 650,000-volt stun gun, perfect for those trips to the city where seemingly everyone wants to get their hands on your iPhone. The chunky, 1-inch-thick case comes in black, white, pink and yellow colors, although only the black model is currently available. You don't need to worry about zapping yourself; the Yellow Jacket team designed a protective cover that needs to be moved out of the way to expose the electrodes. After that, there's a safety switch that must be activated before pressing the activation button. The same battery pack that's used to deliver that powerful electric shock to your attacker can also be used in a much more benign way -- recharging your depleted iPhone battery pack. Unfortunately for iPhone owners who'd like a way to protect themselves with a Yellow Jacket case, stun guns are illegal in a number of countries, seven US states and in some specific counties and cities (like Washington D.C.). If you've got a hankering for a Yellow Jacket, be sure to check their list of "forbidden places" prior to making your order. [via Macworld UK]
BodyGuard stun-glove leaps out of comic books, into the arms of LA Sheriff's Department
What's better than a seasoned crime fighter? How about a seasoned crime fighter packing a 300,000-volt punch? A new prototype stun-glove is poised to make such Robocop-inspired dreams a reality, integrating a non-lethal taser, LED flashlight, and laser guided video camera into a fetching piece of futuristic armor. Activated by pulling out a grenade-like pin and palming an embedded finger pad, the Armstar BodyGuard 9XI-HD01 sparks a loud and visible arc of electricity between its wrist-mounted taser spikes, a sight that inventor David Brown hopes will encourage would-be crooks to surrender. The gauntlet's hard plastic shell is even roomy enough to add GPS equipment, biometrics, chemical sensors, or other embedded additions, as needed. The first batch of pre-production superhero gloves will hit the streets of LA later this year for testing and evaluation. Need more? Check out the via to see Kevin Costner (what field of dreams did he walk out of?) take the edge off this shocker in a surprisingly dull video.
Robot camel jockeys found packing illegal stun guns, Dubai police say 'Don't tase them bro!'
It's been awhile since we've talked about the remote controlled robot jockeys used in Arabian camel racing, but a recent scandal that has rocked the camel-racing world compels us to revisit the topic. The Dubai police discovered that some shady characters have been selling robot jockeys equipped with stun guns to "encourage" camels to run faster. We're pretty sure that the animals don't need any more incentive to run -- they already have a robot whipping them -- and it's good to see that the powers-that-be agree with us, as the two men selling the machines were arrested. Now that our dromedary friends need no longer fear being tased in the name of sport, we only have to worry about over-zealous peace officers using them on all of us. [Image Credit: ZDNet]
Stun Fone iPhone accessory: YouTube spoof or real product?
Thanks to TUAW reader Adam, I was pointed in the direction of YouTube a few minutes ago to watch a video of a purported stun gun accessory for iPhone 3 / 3GS / 4. While I'm 99.9 percent certain that this is a spoof, the other .1 percent is wishing that the US$24.99 Stun Fone was actually available for sale. It would be so handy for those situations where someone cuts in a line ahead of me... A little research on Amazon showed that stun guns are readily available at about this price, so setting one up to be triggered by a press of the volume buttons on an iPhone isn't exactly out of the realm of reality. It would probably also require something other than the iPhone's battery to charge it up. To Jeff and his roommate, the "inventors" -- if this sucker is for real, we here at TUAW will be happy to put a review unit through its paces. Just let us know. Video (slightly NSFW) is on the next page.
TASER X3 triple-shot stunner arrives, subdues population
Right on schedule, Taser's launching the TASER X3 "force option," which allows "peace officers" the ability to shoot up to three probes in quick succession in order to "incapacitate" their "targets." Not only that, but the X3 can display a "warning arc" when loaded, allowing officers to "gain voluntary compliance" and "avert use-of-force" by putting on a light show. When it comes time to take down that unruly Trustafarian, however, it'll get done with style -- the probes are aimed with laser sights, and the new Pulse Calibration System actively monitors the perp to deliver a Precision Shaped Pulse(TM) that provides "consistent effects." Yeah, we want one. Video after the break.
Jury finds Taser accountable for man's death, awards $6m settlement to family
Oh Taser, your house of cards is about to come crumbling down, blown apart by the winds of US litigation and the righteous fury of your mostly innocent victims. Last Friday, a federal jury in San Jose, California found the stun-gun-maker responsible for the death of Robert Heston Jr., a 40-year-old man, and has awarded his family more than $6 million in damages. Sure, Heston had an enlarged heart due to long-term methamphetamine abuse, but it was the Taser shocks that sent him to a better place. Despite a 12 percent drop in stock value after the ruling, the company continues to pump the devices into the marketplace, but at the very least this should make folks pause before they start juicing people full of electricity... those things aren't toys you know.[Via Wired]
Keepin' it real fake, part CXV: the W700 as stun gun edition
This isn't your typical Keepin' it real fake, normally these things are about impressing your friends and shocking your enemies, but not literally. The Sony Ericsson W700 clone Pretender 950,000V takes the concept a literal step further, as it isn't really a cell at all, it's a stun gun. Featuring a whopping 950,000 volts of juice, a two stage safety switch to prevent accidental discharge -- good thinking -- and even a 12 LED flashlight, and all for only $59. Cool idea for those living in dodgy places, but we'd like to see someone add an actual cell radio to this with remote discharge in the event it ever gets lifted from your person.
French Taser chief hints at flying shockbot
According to a recent report, the French head of stun-gun maker Taser has plans to create a "mini-flying saucer like drone which could also fire Taser stun rounds on criminal suspects or rioting crowds." Antoine di Zazzo, fervent proselytizer of the electroshock weapon, is cutting through the is / isn't torture noise of recent UN reports with the news that the non-lethal device is about to make a serious splash in France, with president Nicolas Sarkozy promising to hand one to every policeman and gendarme. Of course, once di Zazzo's army of tiny, hovering stun machines take to the air -- sometime next year -- the police probably won't have to worry about brandishing their weapons.[Thanks, Craig B.]
"Largest ever" study finds tasers safe
Not that you needed any kind of study to prove that your shiny new personal stun gun was safe to use, but Dr. William Bozeman and colleagues have just wrapped up an independent study that "suggests the devices are safe, causing a low occurrence of serious injuries." The research was conducted at Wake Forest University, and it showed that out of "nearly 1,000 cases, 99.7-percent of those subjected to a taser had mild injuries, such as scrapes and bruises, or none at all," while the remaining sliver received injuries severe enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. Granted, Dr. Bozeman did admit that tasers could "clearly cause injuries and even deaths in some cases," but insinuated that the risk was quite low. Tase on, we guess.[Via Physorg]
Taser International's C2 taser on sale now
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]
Louisiana sheriff adds camcorders to taser lineup
Sure, it'd be ideal if taser-equipped police bots could clean up our streets without any human interaction whatsoever, but since we're not quite there yet, a Louisiana sheriff is upgrading his staff's lineup of Taser X26 stun guns with integrated camcorders. All 681 of the branch's devices are receiving a diminutive camera installation, which starts rolling the moment an officer switches off the safety and gets ready for action. We've certainly heard the critics who proclaim that taser guns aren't as safe as we're led to believe, and in Jefferson Parish alone a number of individuals have died after getting jolted by one. The move is being made to help protect citizens from unnecessary enforcements and to safeguard the force from illegitimate "police brutality claims," and each camera is designed to record up to 1.5 hours of monochrome footage regardless of the lighting situation. While we hope you never have to encounter one of these tasercams yourself, we imagine that Cops is already offering up big bucks to get ahold of this up close and personal footage, so you've probably got a surefire way to grab your 15 minutes if you're really that desperate.
Super Taser sports extra electrode for double the fun
Nothing get us going in the morning like a good tasering to the torso, but sometimes when we're getting our crime on during the winter months, it takes the cops two or three shots to penetrate our bulky Starter jackets. Well Taser International is fully aware of this problem -- apparently it happens not only with layered clothing but furry animals as well -- and has been furiously conducting government-sponsored R&D so that even the most padded criminal or woolliest feral cat can be dropped with just one round. To accomplish this lofty goal, experts in "non-lethal" weaponry have developed a projectile that, unlike traditional models, contains electrodes on both ends; if the first shock isn't enough to make the target lose control of his/her muscles and bodily functions, he/she will instinctively grab (or in the case of a malicious squirrel, bite) the barbs and try to remove them -- resulting in a second, unprotected shock from the electrode at the other end. Very clever stuff, really; there's nothing like turning people's own instincts against them in order to ensure compliance. We'll report back on the effects after we get stunned with one of these new devices for the first time, although if you're the type who prefers to pull off your capers without getting electrocuted, we suggest that you start wearing some thick ski gloves on your heists as well.
