CHICAGO, July 9 (UPI) -- A multi-shot TASER weapon will boost riot-control capabilities in the United States by controlling the streets through non-lethal means.
The 6-shot Shockwave is designed for military use and can launch multiple electric-shock prongs that will disable even the most determined protesters.
"The TASER Shockwave addresses the need for enhanced area denial and force protection at checkpoints where life-and-death decisions must be made instantaneously," CEO Rick Smith said Monday at the TASER Tactical Conference in Chicago.
The TASER is standard equipment for nearly every U.S. police force. The gun-like device fires a dart into a suspect that delivers a shock that can incapacitate the person long enough for police to swarm in and slap the cuffs on.
Smith said in a statement that Shockwave was the result of a program to develop a more robust version of the technology for use by the military and homeland security sectors. The company recently unveiled a wireless TASER that can be fired from a standard law-enforcement shotgun and is also working on a TASER-firing robot that can wade into crowds while operators remain at a safe distance.
Shockwave can launch TASER darts up to 25 feet in a 22-degree arc. The darts are contained in portable modular units that allow rapid reloading and can also be mounted on a vehicle.
"Shockwave is designed to be a fully modular system, allowing the end user complete flexibility to deploy as needed to achieve the desired objective,'' said Smith. "Units can be stacked side by side, vertically, or can be 'daisy-chained' together in limitless combinations to allow an optimized response for every deployment."
