Pentagon’s Mega Stun Gun Could Blast You Unconscious
By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
Imagine a stun gun that doesn’t just drop you to the floor, but renders you unconscious for several minutes. This tech is called a “nano-second electrical pulse,” and the Pentagon believes it could be used in a gun that would hit targets with high voltages of electricity for an amazingly short amount of time – we’re talking billionths of seconds here. That would make the enemy an easy capture. But today’s stun guns are already linked to dozens, if not hundreds, of abusive incidents. What happens if they become even more powerful?
The stun gun is only one of several projects that the Department of Defense showcased at the Non-Lethal Weapons Industry Day in Quantico, Va. on June 22, an opportunity for the Pentagon to give a glimpse of the present and future of its weapons that are designed to injure, rather than kill.
The Joint Non Lethal Weapons Directorate, the Pentagon’s agency responsible for these projects, has been working on these system for years, proposing all kinds of exotic and futuristic less-than-lethal alternatives to its deadly arsenal, including sticky foam guns, sonic cannons, and devices that could potentially create voices in the target’s heads, mimicking the effects of schizophrenia.
As Defense News notes, the new pulse gun is a lightweight device supposed to be an improvement over the existing — and often limited — stun guns. The weapons’ effects doesn’t last that long, allowing the victim to recover as soon as the flow of electricity stops. The Pentagon now wants an improved device that could disable the enemy and render him unconscious for several minutes.
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http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/07/mega-stun-gun/
