It is equipped with a video camera and a stun gun to keep criminals at bay
Posted 05.31.2011 at 10:02 am 48 Comments
The Armor Sleeve Defuses confrontations and prevents potentially violent situations John B. Carnett
For police and corrections officers, preventing and defusing confrontations can save lives, and that’s the premise behind the BodyGuard. Equipped with a highvoltage stunner, video camera, laser pointer and flashlight, the armor sleeve is intended to prevent violent situations. The invention was designed by David Brown, a cameraman, editor and producer who makes a living filming musical acts such as Rage Against the Machine and Snoop Dogg, as well as behindthe-scenes movie footage for the actor Kevin Costner, a friend and BodyGuard investor.
Brown developed the concept for the device one evening in 2004, when he and some friends were discussing a recent mountain lion attack in a nearby Orange County park that had left one cyclist dead and another maimed. During an attack like that, Brown recalls thinking, even if you have a knife or other handheld weapon, you’re going to drop it. He wanted something that a person could deploy instinctually.
How It Works: Armored Glove: The breathable glove weighs less than three pounds and is encased by a hard shell that extends across the forearm. A pull pin preps the stunner (generated by four electrodes on the wrist), and a button at the palm activates it. Similar buttons trigger the laser pointer, video camera and flashlight. Blanddesigns.co.uk
Seven years and 30 prototypes later, Brown has his first demo model. The components are arranged for ease of use, comfort and to prevent users from stunning themselves. The green laser pointer helps aim a high-definition video camera because, Brown says, a suspect who knows he’s on camera is more likely to cooperate. If the camera doesn’t do the trick, the wrist mounted stunner might. It looks and sounds painful when electricity sizzles between its electrodes, which may encourage an attacker to back off. As a last resort, it may be used to briefly incapacitate a particularly stubborn suspect.
The BodyGuard debuted in May at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Mock Prison Riot, an annual training and technology-assessment event held at a decommissioned penitentiary in West Virginia. The first demo unit will be released to the Los Angeles sheriff’s department later this year. Brown says future incarnations could include chemical sensors, an electronic translator to help soldiers communicate overseas, or biometric readers for airport security guards. “BodyGuard will empower officers worldwide,” Brown says, “and it will save lives."
Name: The BodyGuard
Inventor: David Brown
Time: 7 years
Cost: Undisclosed
Shameless Screen Grab courtesy of Popular Science ("popsci").
He even LOOKS like a SuperVillain. Get a Helmet or some Goggles, pay your Union Dues, and there will be a new Villain in the neighborhood.
***Update***
It's always the comments are the best - like this one;
05/31/11 at 10:56 am cool. i'm looking forward to this. id buy two of them (one for each arm) for home defense and upgrade it to fit my personal needs. maybe retractable claws? idk. the possibilities are vast."
Sorry, I've watched the villain/hero subgroups, and that one falls firmly in the hero bucket.
ReplyDeleteRooster;
ReplyDeleteMirror Universe Spock Goatee? Check
Dressed in Black? Check
Henchman Hat? Check
Raised Fist? Check
Gadgets for Dominance? Check
The information and Pictures Scream Villain. And if the Police DO embrace their inner Villains, crime will have to go elsewhere.
Always enjoy your comments - thank you.
-Lord Malignance
Homemade multi-task-stun-gun? Check
ReplyDeletePermanently mounted camera? Check
Follow-up comment on adding Wolverine-claws? Check
I'll admit that the hat is a bit too stylish to be heroic, but after having spent too much time on the therlsh.net forum I stand by my statement; it's RLSH all the way.
Let me in return say that your posts are a source of constant delight, and renew my promise that when we take over, you will be spared. Perhaps even valued.