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Long Range Stunners - Again
A patent for a long range stunner device has been applied for. Unlike a Taser, which is limited by the wires that transmit the electrical impulse to the target, the new device puts the electric charge in the projectile itself.
The new projectile contains an explosive charge that squeezes piezoelectric materials; the resulting 40 kilovolts of electricity are transmitted to the victim with electrodes designed to pierce skin.
The only thing I don't understand about this patent application is that this idea has been pursued before. At least three different devices use the same basic idea - see these three articles for more details: Piezer - Homeland Security, Lynntech Projectile and Inertial Capacitive Incapacitator.
All of these weapons must take a back seat to Jules Verne's Leyden Ball, a weapon found in his 1875 classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea:
Found this item here; thanks to MrX_TLO who wrote in with the tip.
...the balls sent by this gun are not ordinary balls, but little
cases of glass. These glass cases are covered with a case of steel,
and weighted with a pellet of lead; they are real Leyden bottles,
into which the electricity is forced to a very high tension.
With the slightest shock they are discharged, and the animal,
however strong it may be, falls dead.
(Read more about Verne's leyden ball)
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 9/13/2006)
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Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
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