RE: Disrupter beam

["Dan Sinclair" <sinclair@prospro.com>]

I must say, with the proliferation of wireless and cellular communications
systems, and the already proven ONSTAR system that allows GM to unlock your
car via. satellite and such, it won't be long before they include an
ignition kill command into the onboard computer.  Could be especially handy
in high speed chases with stolen cars.  Someone steals your car, you call GM
on your cell phone, GM kills the ignition system and you look for the
traffic jam to find your stalled stolen car :)
As for accident potential - a perp in a DeVille doing 90mph through a
residential district isn't real keen either!  Have the system apply 50%
brake pressure ala the electronic ABS, then kill the ignition.

Needless to say, I won't be driving a Cadillac, but if GM gets the ball
rolling...  I'd pay extra for an option like that on my new S4 ;)

Dan Sinclair
1988 Audi 90, 67K mi.
Picture and details online at:
http://131.107.68.28/a4.org/registry/details.asp?car=761

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-quattro@coimbra.ans.net
[mailto:owner-quattro@coimbra.ans.net]On Behalf Of Andrew Duane USG
Sent: Friday, February 19, 1999 5:57 AM
To: Brett Dikeman
Cc: Quattro List
Subject: Re: Disrupter beam


Hairy green toads from Mars made Brett Dikeman say:

> You guys have been watching "Viper" and "Goldeneye" waaaay too much.
>
> Pure Sci Fi, and that line about airports and dodge caravans...pure BS...
>
> Brett
>
> > I remember a little device that was being tested for police use a while
> > back...
> > It was a small rocket propelled (?) device that would be mounted at the
> > bottom of the front spoiler a la James Bond, and if the police were
> > involved in a high speed chase, when they got to a less populated area
> > they could launch this thing at the car in front of them.  It would get
> > under the engine bay and start letting off horrendous bursts of EMI or
> > something that would fry any electronic components (i.e. ECU, ignition
> > controls, etc) of the car so it would stall.

Nope.

Seen one of these in operation, but only in research/development.
They are not (yet) in use by police anywhere. I don't know that they
are tested, and there are serious questions about side-effects like
causing a crash or fire, stopping someone's pacemaker, etc.

Most police, though, have "stop strips"; stretchable lengths of
metal mat with sharp spikes in them. Slide them across the road
in front of perp, voila: 4 flat tires.

Maybe I should get a set of the goodyear run-flats :-)

--

Andrew L. Duane (JOT-7)			duane@zk3.dec.com
Compaq Computer Corporation		(603)-884-1294
110 Spit Brook Road
M/S ZKO3-3/U14
Nashua, NH    03062-2698

Only my cat shares my opinions, and she's too psychotic to express it