Police test hi-tech zapper that could end car chases

The Guardian [UK] ^ | July 12, 2004 | Ian Sample, science correspondent

[solitas]

How much can John Edwards collect when they stop someones pacemaker?
• john edwards (lowercase intentional) should have a pacemaker.

A good point though - the RF does not stop once it hits the subject vehicle. WHO is liable for the collateral damage of anything else in the range of that pulse? Insurance companies won't want to cover them and the courts wouldn't hold the suspect liable.

P.S. - here's one way to 'do unto others what they would do unto you'.

[Doctor Stochastic]

How will the car then dissipate it's momentum?

[nightdriver]

Dr Giri: "If we can disrupt the computer, we can stop the car."

Another reason I hate cars that depend on computers to run.

[Terpfen]

By slowing to a stop, I presume.

[Chewbacca]

Wouldn't work on my truck. It has a carburator and no computer chips in it.

Sounds like an EMP gun. You can probably make one from stuff found at Radio Shack.

[StockAyatollah]

I have wanted an EMP gun for a long time. My targets would be cars of punks who play mind-numbing rap music and a mind-killing decibel level that is way too heavy in the bass frequency range.

[asgardshill]

The plans for this gizmo will be available on the Internet a week after its introduced. Then, I'll download them and build a box that will let me fry the CD player/subwoofer in the vehicle next to me booming out rap music at 130 dB.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

I have wanted an EMP gun for a long time. My targets would be cars of punks who play mind-numbing rap music and a mind-killing decibel level that is way too heavy in the bass frequency range.

I prefer a 20 mm cannon.

[TheCrusader]

"Police forces in Britain and the US have ordered tests of the new system that delivers a blast of radio waves powerful enough to knock out vital engine electronics, making the targeted vehicle stall and slowly come to a stop"

Speeding cars don't necessarily come to a "slow stop" if they stall out. When a car is traveling at a very high rate of speed a sudden shutting down of the engine could cause serious accidents that kill innocent people in other cars, or bystanders. Just imagine a car doing 80 mph on the highway and it suddenly stalls out. This latest Inspector Gadget invention could cause more problems than it will solve, I hope they use it wisely.

[TheCrusader]

"How will the car then dissipate it's momentum?"

Probably by running into a tree and killing the 14 year old occupants who stole it; or else by careening out of control and killing innocent people. It sounds like a dumb idea to me.

[Doctor Stochastic]

It's a high-tech version of shooting out the tires or capping the driver during a high speed chase. It's not generally a good idea.

[battousai]

Al Qaeda will have a wonderful time causing 500-car pileups at the Autobahn with a remote control.

I was thinking of the other way around, this could be a great way to stop those speeding car bombers before they get to their target, might even help defuse the bomb (or set it off) but that should be another use for this device to be investigated.

[Max Combined]

I want one to use on the nuts on the roads of Houston.

[LouisWu]

The vehicle would loose power steering and brake boosts, and become very hard to control. The suspect would most likely veer off the outside of the very next curve.

[sweetliberty]

"Then, I'll download them and build a box that will let me fry the CD player/subwoofer in the vehicle next to me booming out rap music at 130 dB."

Now that's something I could get behind. I just want to run those disrespectful morons off the road.

[uglybiker]

It works on most cars built in the past 10 years, because their engines are controlled by computer chips," said Dr Giri.

Ha! You'll never catch me, coppers!!

[uglybiker]

Did Softails still have points in '85?

[uglybiker]

The vehicle would loose power steering and brake boosts, and become very hard to control.

Wrong. It would just lose the ower assist. The steering is only stiff at low speeds. Without the vacuum assist on the brakes, the car stops just like my old Stoodybaker with manual brakes. I've driven vehicles that have lost power while travelling at speed so I know. It was damned irritating, but hardly life threatening.

[Screaming_Gerbil]

They design and test vehicles for susceptibility to Interference from R.F. (Radio Frequency) energy. It's called EMC - Electromagnetic Compatibility - design and testing.

[monkeyshine]

An EMP gun, yeehaw!

And if you point it at a Las Vegas hotel and pull the trigger, you can sneak into their safe, intercept their phone and video equipment, and rob them of over $200,000,000.