Overrated/Underrated: Nonlethal Weapons

Overrated:

shock shield

Beating protesters with batons gives police a bad rap. Wouldn't it be so much easier to tame the budding revolutionaries with something less violent—or at least less violent-looking? Taser International has come out with some products along those lines. The new Repel Laminate Film Technology makes it possible for police to have a literal shield of shock. It's a peel-and-stick device that becomes electrified and can be placed on shields, Taser says, to "keep suspects or rioters at bay." But this passive-aggressive technology could take the careless electrification of protesters to a whole new level. "Whatever's next?" asks Lewis Page of the Register website. "Electrified body-armour suits? Gauntlets? Truly, the day of the electric cop would seem to be upon us."

Underrated:

the pulse wave gun

This invention—which came out in the 1990s and was actually featured in a U.S.News cover story—is underrated not because it's so useful, but because it's so clever. Unlike the stun guns and mace sprays that are intended to injure the attacker, this little gadget changes minds. It does it "by emitting pulse waves that intercept brainwaves controlling aggression and the voluntary muscles." The hitch is that the science is not quite perfected. The Myotron, as it's called, can apparently still be purchased. Rodion Medvedev, a Cracked.com contributor, says, "Neutralizing brainwaves sounds like a blast, until you realize the thing actually NEUTRALIZES YOUR BRAINWAVES." Still, this thing is philosophically unique among its shocker and sprayer relatives.

Fuhgeddaboutit:

pretty weapons

Who cares how their self-defense weapons are accessorized during an attack? Apparently Taser is hoping there are plenty of women who want to stay stylish as they zap their would-be attackers with the company's leopard-pattern stun gun. It also comes in pink and red. Taser's Chief Executive Rick Smith says it "provides a personal protection option for women who want fashion with a bite." An astute Gizmo Republic blogger thought about it for about three seconds before coming to the conclusion that "there is nothing cool or interesting about peddling pink Tasers to crime-fearing women." Better to stay hard core and go with basic black. Never goes out of style.

Updated: 6-16-08