Counter-taserism
At New Scientist's Last Word blog, a reader posed the question of how one might reduce the unpleasant shock if they're about to be tased (bro). There are quite a few interesting answers. Apparently being high on meth seems to help. As might wearing a chainmail "shark suit."Link
the latest
latest episodes
Wearable Faraday cage?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcalasGr_uk
People high on meth and PCP have a well-publicized tendency to absorb large amounts of damage before stopping, making pepper spray and similar chemicals less effective against them as well.
That picture of a Taser doesn't make it look like it has a very useful form factor, either. Imagine carrying that in your pants.
Oh, being high on meth...is there any problem it can't solve?
They should just design Tasers to inflict a simultaneous but smaller voltage through the grip to the tasee. Then it would be tolerable if one's life is threatened but uncomfortable for overuse.
Call it the "conscience reminder" or "empathy trigger".
"murderface:Oh, being high on meth...is there any problem it can't solve?"
yeah,
running out of meth.
http://grouchosuave.wordpress.com/
tase-proof jacket or vest, or whatever.
"how one might reduce the unpleasant shock if they're about to be tased"
This is admittedly low-tech, but... One could also try the novel approach of shutting the f*ck up and calming down when the police officer or other taser-wielding person asks.
Dangit someone beat me to mentioning a Faraday Cage!
But they didn't mention that it'd also prevent cell phone radiation from causing you cancer or making you sterile or whatever claim you want to believe this week!
I got to witness the tasing of a lifetime outside my house one night, courtesy of a crazy guy and PCP.
The story as recounted by my neighbor:
Dude was strolling down street late one night with a length of pipe, leaving a pipe-shaped path of destruction in his wake. People ask him to kindly knock it off. He unkindly persists in destroying things. Shortly, the arrival of the police. Tasing, and an attempt at handcuffing ensues. Dude, BREAKS HANDCUFFS and continues destruction, virtually nonplussed. More police arrive , more tasing. At one point, critical police mass is reached, and they are able to dogpile the guy. Mid-dogpile, one cop discharges his taser, with one prong accidentally hitting a fellow officer and the other hitting its mark. Taser is electrified, and cop in the dogpile, without the benefit of PCP, does what you are supposed to do when tased and flips out like crazy. Neighbor, seeing cop convulse, calls 911, announces "COP DOWN." Nearly all of hell breaks loose.
At this point, I am woken up by the lightshow produced by all of HPD parking outside my house, and the crackle of untold amounts of tasers being discharged by the now-subdued guy. And when I say untold, I mean, enough so that outside had the ozony smell of a recent lightning strike. I got to see the guy now hog-tied and shackled and probably 9/10ths electricuted get carried and tossed into a paddy wagon. Moral of the story: if you ever want to experience a video game-style invincibility powerup, try PCP.
I've always wondered if, like apiarists (bee-keepers) in relation to bee venom, one could build a tolerance to electricity (a la Horace Pinker in the crappy horror movie "Shocker.")
#9, Elevenwatt: That story is awesome. We should totally legalize that stuff.
@Murderface(Oh, being high on meth...is there any problem it can't solve?)
...or create?