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Electromagnetic Pulse Gun To Help In Police Chases

Posted by timothy on from the hand-your-keys-to-big-brother dept.

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."

12 of 471 comments (clear)

  1. help in police chases? by Tumbleweed · · Score: 5, Funny

    You bet - I'll be able to disable cop cars chasing me.

    I mean, _criminals_ will. Ahem.

    1. Re:help in police chases? by adolf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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..
    2. Re:help in police chases? by TapeCutter · · Score: 5, Funny

      Good, that'll put an end to assholes taking cell phones into the movies and on airplanes.

      And assholes with pacemakers.

      Pacemakers are usually inserted into the chest cavity.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    3. Re:help in police chases? by ehrichweiss · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Speaking as the owner of a 1983 Mercedes 300D turbo diesel, I would love to see the cop's face if they were to ever use such a thing on my car. You see, it has mechanical fuel injection and diesel doesn't rely on a spark so EMP will be useless in killing anything except my stereo. If the car is already running, you can remove the battery and have a completely dead alternator and it'll still run. I figured out a while back that in the event of a nuclear holocaust, I will be one of a handful of people with a running car... If I can get a manual transmission in it then I could even start it. Oh, and it weighs more than the cars today so the odds of running me off the road drop considerably as well...and it's built like a tank(I've been hit by 2 SUVs and have 1 spot of paint rubbed off and a dent shallower than a fingernail).

      Is this the new preferred car for gangstas?

      --
      0x09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
    4. Re:help in police chases? by drsmithy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Speaking as the owner of a 1983 Mercedes 300D turbo diesel [...]

      Maybe you missed the part where this is there to prevent _high speed_ chases ? ;)

    5. Re:help in police chases? by Kharny · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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
    6. Re:help in police chases? by gad_zuki! · · Score: 5, Funny

      Dear Police, when you see a smarmy guy driving an 1980s Mercedes, please note your EMP weapon wont work so you'll need a sniper from SWAT to shoot him in the face. Thanks in advance.

      Sincerely,

      The Internet

  2. Onstar? by Yalius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  3. Uh-oh... by Third+Position · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not sure I like the sound of this. Consider the lesson of the taser. Now that the cops have a weapon that doesn't kill or maim, they've gotten increasingly slap-happy about using it. Cops were at least cautious about using firearms, least they have to defend themselves against using deadly force. But they're happy to pull out the taser at the drop of a hat.

    This may sound like a good idea, but I suspect the cops will be using this a lot more liberally than intended.

    --
    American Third Position
    Finally, a real choice!
  4. What a great tool for robbery! by gti_guy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  5. Re:This is an anti-robot weapon, not anti-car by CodeBuster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  6. This isn't new a new idea at all. by NimbleSquirrel · · Score: 5, Informative

    Eureka Aerospace can call it "HPEMS", but really it is just another HERF device, and it is certainly not a new thing. In fact you can buy kits from places like this and build your own.

    This is a High Energy Radio Frequency (HERF) gun not an EMP weapon, although the two are very similar in their final effects. EMP devices are omnidirectional and create a blanket pulse across a far larger portion of the EM spectrum. HERF affects a much smaller part of the spectrum, which allows the generating electronics to be tuned for higher efficiency and allowing the antennas to be directional. EMP devices are usually much higher power that fry the electronics, whereas HERF devices typically only cause disruption (requiring pulses to be sustained to prevent the normal function from restarting).

    It will shut down the engine computers of most modern cars, but cars with carburetors and mechanical based ignition systems (ie. distributors) and diesel engines without electronic injection will be unnafected. While this may affect most cars and trucks made since 1970, it does not include them all.

    To get to the power output that will stop a vehicle from distances usually seen in car chases would require a massive arrangement, capacitor bank, and a dedicated power supply to keep the HERF pulses sustained. This certainly will not be the kind of device that will be mounted on police cars any time soon.

    I have to also wonder how effective it would be in an actual car chase (assuming they could find as way of making it mobile). They would typically be shooting it at the rear of the car where the bodywork would act as shielding for the engine computer, and there is nothing to stop portions of the RF pulses reflecting off the metal bodywork and disabling chasing police cars.