No more car chases? Pulse blaster device can shut down vehicle engines

Could this be the future of law enforcement? A United Kingdom company has developed a device that can remotely shut down cars and other vehicles using an electromagnetic pulse blast.

 

Law enforcement agencies have expressed interest in the "RF Safe-Stop," a device that uses radio frequency pulses scramble a vehicle's electronic systems, the British Broadcasting Co. reported.

 

"It's a small radar transmitter. The RF (radio frequency) is pulsed from the unit just as it would be in radar, it couples into the wiring in the car and that disrupts and confuses the electronics in the car causing the engine to stall," it quoted Andy Wood, product manager for the machine, as saying. 

 

BBC said E2V, a company trying to bring the product to market, believes the device has potential as a "non-lethal weapon" to defend sensitive locations from vehicles whose drivers refuse to stop at checkpoints.

 

It also quoted Deputy Chief Constable Andy Holt of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) as saying the device may have "potential, but it's very early days yet."

 

Acpo also suggested the machine's ability to stop motorbikes "safely" could prove particularly useful. On the other hand, E2V suggested its device could also be effective against other types of vehicles, such as boats.

 

However, Wood admitted the device may not work on older vehicles that do not rely on electronic systems. "Certainly if you took a 1960s Land Rover, there's a good chance you're not going to stop it," he said.

 

BBC said one of the demonstrations of the device showed it stopping a car running at about 24 kph. "As the vehicle entered the range of the RF Safe-stop, its dashboard warning lights and dials behaved erratically, the engine stopped and the car rolled gently to a halt," BBC said.

 

It added digital audio and video recording devices in the vehicle were also affected.

 

But the BBC also quoted some experts as saying shutting down engine this way may not stop vehicles fast enough.

 

Other experts voiced concerns about the effect of the device on the vehicle's electronic brake and steering systems, though E2V argued the risks were lower compared to alternative systems. — KDM, GMA News