Using a healthy dose of modern-day electronics, engineers have created a pepper spray gun that automatically measures, shoots, and stops attackers, even when used by novices.
The new technology addresses an old dilemma facing those who use pepper spray guns for the first time. It creates a mist of droplets that are neither too big nor too small and can be effectively inhaled into the lungs in a way that temporarily debilitates people. "With this, all you have to do is pull the trigger and it sends out the right amount of pepper at the right distance," Roland Ouellette, founder of SAM Training LLC, told us. "It solves the problem of people not knowing how to use it properly."
David Bonneau of Enginasion: "It's the ultimate exercise in mechatronics design."
Known as Restrain and Identify, or R-I-D, the new device employs a combination of electronics and microfluidics to achieve the goal of making pepper spray guns more successful. Using an ultrasonic (or radar) sensor, it measures the distance to the perpetrator, sends a signal to a microcontroller (MCU), decides what pressure to employ, then dispenses the correct pepper spray pulse through the proprietary microfluidics system.
To enable users to call for help, it even incorporates an RF transceiver and a pair of cameras, thus enabling it to stream video to the user's private security company. Finally, R-I-D employs GPS (global positioning system) technology to provide its location.
"It's the ultimate exercise in mechatronics design," said David Bonneau, CEO of Enginasion, in an interview. Enginasion developed the system from Ouellette's initial ideas. "It needs great optics, great electronics, and great mechanics."
Enginasion, which specializes in product development, wrote its own software operating system for the gun, and chose the MCU, sensor, and transceiver hardware. It then teamed with an unnamed "microfluidics expert" to design the pneumatic spray system, making it work in closed-loop fashion with the onboard electronics.
Soon everyone will have "google glasses" of some sort that will record everyplace you are and everything you see - sent to the cloud and you can retrieve/delete the recordings at will. This invention seems to be too late for a long run. The science is useful, however.
In most cases, the motion required to respond to an attack is not going to allow for the steady positioning required for a picture except perhaps in out in bright sunlight.
The concept is appealing, the market will see value, the cost will be prohibitive and when the function is really required to be used as intended which probably would involve a darker, less well lit environment and perhaps involving an attack or conflict, the functionality would not be there.
Nice idea. Another application would be to integrate video capture on a pistol. Maybe integrate with the LASER Illuminator that mounts to the acceory Rail.
You are right on with that! People who are determined can work through a pepper spray attack. I once had a security firm, and as part of the training you had to restrain and handcuff an assailant who had just pepper sprayed you. We used half strenth spray on the instructor who was demonstrating. Then we used full strength on the students. It was a blast.
Cost is an important consideration. Pepper spray is about $30. And once you use it, it has to be replaced. I'm sure that with GPS, rangefinder, microprocessor, etc, its cost will be way north of $30. Plus, how much is a refill?
So how much is your life worth? Some would say "Priceless", but I don't see many people with a dedicated bodyguard. So cost is an important consideration. Bullets cost pennies, but could be as high as $1.00 each time you shoot one. So even if I have to use 5 shots to bring down an attacker, it's still a pretty good bargain. Add $60 every 5 years to renew my carry permit and it's still a bargain. OK, so the gun cost a lot of money, but some guns are good investments. Pay $400 today and you might get $600 for it in 10 years or less (I have an SP101 I paid $199 for and now is worth $320+). If they can bring this to market for $100 or less with refills at $20 each, they might have something. Otherwise, it's just an Engineering exercise.
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