Taser meets A.I.
Artifical Intellegince Meets The Taser
Last June, Taser International introduced another addition to its burgeoning array of non-lethal weapons; this time combining a classic weapon’s assets, the shotgun, with the non-lethal shock-waves of a regular taser.
The new Extended Range Electronic Projectile (XREP) is shot from a 12-gauge shotgun platform and is notably the first wireless taser device. It delivers the same NMI as a hand-held x26 taser, but instead is contained within a shotgun cartridge, -a payload capable of being delivered at up to three hundred yards. This is three times farther than the longest range available to other tasers, revolutionizing the taser by utilizing already-in-place firearm technology to create a cutting edge taser.
First publicly tested in the beginning of 2006, what makes Taser International’s newest innovation possible is its XREP engine. The scientists at Taser International managed to get the size of the engine down to 2.4 grams, which is just small enough fit. Also, the new wireless technology, which makes it possible to deliver a charge when separated from the launcher, works by integrating the battery completely into the chassis, combining to give enough power to the projectile to deliver a shock at a velocity of about three hundred feet per second. By the time the shell is released from the barrel of the gun, it is fully activated and remains so for twenty long seconds, long enough for any police officer to subdue a potentially violent offender.
A curious question is raised with a new type of gun. As when rifle technology was young, is the taser XREP capable of long-range accuracy? The answer is, yes. While the XREP leaves the barrel, three torsion spring fins deploy, causing the cartridge to spin, even when launched from a smooth bore, providing amazing accuracy and flight stabilization.
Interestingly, the XREP delivers an even nastier bite if the subject attempts to disconnect from the XREP projectile. When the reflex engagement electrodes connect with a human hand they are designed to combine and form a complete circuit, allowing the taser NMI to discharge from the nose electrodes and out the subjects hand that grabbed the XREP. The result of the extra circuit capabilities is a spread of the XREP pulses, creating an even more overpowering NMI when a subject attempts to resist an officer. In fact, even if the subject grabs the tether, a live hand-trap wire connects and a shock is delivered through the hand, preventing the subject from letting go.
But the public will have to wait to see the XREP in live action. At the moment, the XREP is not available for purchase. It is in the pilot testing period for six to twelve months before full production begins.
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