The future is here, one where police can point a gun at a car and
stop it using the wonders of science. In this case, the case of
reality, that device uses radio pulses to stop the car’s engine: RF
Safe-Stop is its name. A british company, E2V, developed the Safe-Stop gun to
electronically confuse a vehicle's electronic systems cutting the
engine. The primary use is for military control of vehicles entering
areas, without the need for lethal force. The police are also
interested. Much like the system in Need for Speed Rivals the gun will kill a
car's engine bringing it to a halt. Deputy chief constable Andy
Holt, who has evaluated the tech, said the machine had
"potential, but it's very early days yet". Describing a demo the BBC reported: “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. Digital audio and video recording devices in the vehicle
were also affected.” Andy Wood, product manager for the machine explained: “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." The device works with a range of up to 50 metres. We wonder if it
can affect older cars with more basic electronic setups. Details, no
doubt for this reason, were sparse. But: "Certainly if you took a
1960s Land Rover, there's a good chance you're not going to stop
it," Mr Wood said. We thought stopping a car at high speed sounded a bit
dangerous but as deputy police chief Andy Holt points out: “tyre
deflation devices used by some police forces pose the risk of
causing serious injury' if used against two-wheelers.” The firm
added that it did not believe the RF Safe-Stop posed any risk to
people using a pacemaker. So expect more police power, new weapons in car chase movies,
and a brand new gadget for car-jackers to arrive soon.