Tickle Me Elmo Creator Invents Sometimes-Lethal Weapon

Really Short Summary: A new non-letahl weapon automatically adjusts the projectile's muzzle velocity to match the range of the target so it can safely deliver the same impact at long and short ranges. (Current nonlethal weapons are only effective at a very narrow range. A non-lethal gun ranged for 50m shots will kill at 5m and ineffective much beyond 50m.) Uses methylacetylene propadiene gas as propellent which is a commonly used in commercial products like nail guns.<p>About damn time if you ask me. This will help reduce the danger of using nonlethal weapons. Also, using a commercially-available propellent that is already sold in convenient canisters is a definite plus.

This sounds rather more sane than using microwaves to gently cook people: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Denial_System" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Denial_System</a><p>The fundamental problem with less-than-lethal / non-lethal weapons is that if you use them incompetently for crowd control, you end up with a lot of people crushed and trampled to death.

Baby steps towards "set phasers on stun". Good.

Hmm... I think the hidden story is this guy made the "stun-gun" to fill a need--filling a need is one of the elements you always hear when people talk about startups, creating your product, etc.<p>So, it only makes sense that the stun-gun he created was really for crowd control from the fanatical and frenzied parents who trampled each other when tickle-me-elmo first came out, not this spin doctor story about "looking for new power sources for toys."<p>You know it makes sense ;)<p>On a slightly more serious note, how awesome would that introduction line be...<p>Stranger: So what do you do?<p>Bruce Lund: Well, I invented tickle-me-elmo.<p>Stranger: Aw, isn't that cute.<p>Bruce Lund: Oh yeah, and a gun with a god-like knob to choose life or death when it hits it's target.

If you (like me) want the rocket the article mentions, it's the Estes Hydrogen Fuel Rocket: <a href="http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&#38;rls=en&#38;q=estes+hydrogen+rocket&#38;ie=UTF-8&#38;oe=UTF-8" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&#38;rls=en&#38;q=...</a><p>The internet tells me it sucks, though.

The cynic in me sees these being used in crowd control---with occasional "mistakes".

Wouldn't even this weapon make a sound when used? Like the nail gun he cites? I keep wondering about magnetically-propelled BBs.... no sound.

Bruise me Elmo?