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Electromagnetic Pulse Gun To Help In Police Chases
adeelarshad82 writes "In an attempt to put an end to dangerous, high-speed police chases, scientists at Eureka Aerospace have developed an electromagnetic pulse gun called the High Power Electromagnetic System, or HPEMS. It develops a high-intensity directed pulse of electricity designed to disable a car's microprocessor system, shutting down all of its systems. Right now the prototype seen in a video fills an entire lab, but they have plans to shrink its size to hand-held proportions. Some form of this is already featured in OnStar-equipped vehicles though the electromagnetic signal used to disable the vehicle is beamed via satellite, and doesn't cripple the in-car computer, but rather puts it into a mode that allows police to easily catch and then stop the fleeing criminal."
I wonder if it works on helicopters also?
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
How the heck is this similar to the Onstar system? This uses a directed EMP to disrupt electronic engine control, Onstar uses a built-in remote kill switch. That's like saying shooting a lightbulb is the same as turning off the switch.
Um. The electromagnetic signal that can be sent from a satellite to an OnStar-equipped vehicle is certainly not any form of an electromagnetic pulse. It's a radio signal encoded with a command telling a microprocessor to disable power to the ignition.
Who writes this mess?
I can see the fnords!
A focused EMP beam from a gun? What a great way to destroy video cameras & alarm systems! It sure would make robbery a LOT easier.
Good point. The electrical leads used in a typical pacemaker may very well be vulnerable to such a pulse. If the EMP is powerful enough to fry the microprocessor in a car I'd bet that it is also powerful enough to at least temporarily disrupt the function of someone's pacemaker.
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
Good, that'll put an end to assholes taking cell phones into the movies and on airplanes.
And assholes with pacemakers.
Kinda. Ever use a handheld cell phone in a car? Chances are you have, and that it worked fine -- the signal goes right through the windows.
Same with this concept. Sure, the car's fidgety electronic bits are wrapped securely inside of grounded aluminum boxes, gasketed and/or taped to keep out all manner of pollutants and/or RFI. But connected to these boxes are hundreds of feet of unshielded, untwisted wire, all of which will act as an antenna. Meanwhile, the car's body will tend to reflect any RF that makes it inside, so with all of the weird angles in use it's just an eventuality before some of it finds its way into a bundle of wires somewhere.
So, it's obvious and foregone that it's possible to get some amount of RF into a car's electronics.
The question is: How much does it take to make the car stop working? Since the current system apparently uses a room full of gear, I'd say the answer is "lots."
Kid-proof tablet..
Nevermind the fact that this has "massive liability" (i.e. instant class action lawsuits) written all over it; especially for the manufacturer of the device (Eureka Aerospace). The car might as well be sent to the crusher after being hit with this device because it will effectively be a complete loss with damaged or destroyed electronics. No doubt the insurance companies, who will be forced to "total out" stolen vehicles hit with this device, will have a thing or two to say as well.
Now that engineers have successfully made technology invisible, all technology is equivalent. Notice that no one in the health care debate suggested controlling costs at the technology level, only at the "insurance/payout" stage. Technology is no longer suggested as an answer, only until a solution is available on the market (e.g., video conference in lieu of commuting is not a government or business priority).
There are now two classes of people: those that don't get it, and the minority that do.
You don't really understand crumple zones then....
Either you take the hit, or the car does.
I prefer a broken car over a broken spine personally.
Make a man a fire and he will be warm for a day, set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life
Um, since many "high-speed chases" occur at night, one of the biggest problems would likely be the instant shutoff of the headlights. Can you say "high speed crash"? Sure. I knew you could.
Really... the solution to most high-speed chases has been known for a long time, and that is: tell the police to fucking stop doing it.
The vast majority of crimes that lead to these high-speed chases did not endanger lives in the first place... until, of course, the police started the chase. THEN they did. But it is usually just not necessary: the police have access to radios, helicopters, etc. to radio ahead and run these people down. It just takes longer.
"wow shut up" to a decent post modded +5 Insightful. Idiocracy has come to Slashdot.
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