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| Science & Technology |
| Taser unveils long-range and 'scatter' weapons |
| 2007-07-13 |
| Two new electric stun weapons unveiled this week suggest that their use may shift from law enforcement to the battlefield. Some critics, however, worry that this could lead to such weapons being used more indiscriminately. US company Taser International demonstrated a shotgun-fired projectile capable of stunning a target and a weapon capable of firing six individual shock darts at a time at an event held in Chicago, US, on Monday. The company also recently revealed a a remote-controlled robot armed with shock weapons. Normally, stun guns are handheld and fire a pair of darts attached to trailing wires over a range of about 10 metres. The wires conduct a powerful electric shock to a target, incapacitating them instantly. The new projectile, known as XREP can be fired from a standard shotgun. A barbed electrode sticks to the target on impact. The rest of the projectile then falls away on a short tether and another spiked electrode makes a second contact point on the target. This ensures that the two electrodes are sufficiently spaced out to affect the entire body. Removal protection If the victim tries to grab the projectile and remove it, they will make contact with additional "reflex engagement" electrodes, providing another channel for an electric shock. The electroshock projectile has a range of about 30 metres and generates an incapacitating electric discharge for 20 seconds after it hits, which the makers say is long enough for a person to be apprehended. Development of XREP was funded by the US Office of Naval Research for Marines engaged in "clearing facilities" – tasks like raiding buildings for suspected insurgents. But Neil Davison, head of non-lethal weapons research within the peace studies department at Bradford University, UK, points to potential hazards of XREP. "It combines the well-known dangers of impact projectiles – inaccuracy, potential for serious injury – with a Taser shock four times longer than usual, which also carries an increased risk to the health of the victim," Davison says. Second shock The six-dart launcher called Shockwave has several barrels pointing in different directions. When discharged, it fires six Taser darts across a twenty-degree arc. The shock delivered by each dart lasts for five seconds, but the controller can reactivate them to give additional five-second discharges. A video clip shows an array of eight Shockwaves – 48 Tasers – in two rows. The US military already has non-lethal weapons capable of firing hundreds of hard rubber balls across a wide angle to disperse rioters. These include the M5 Modular Crowd Control Munition. But there is currently no civilian equivalent. Again, Davison sees a risk that targets may be hit more than once. "My overall concern with all three developments is that they would further remove the process of human interaction, negotiation and reasoning from the decision by police to use force," he says. Taser could not be reached for comment by time of posting. |
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