British company E2V, whose mission is to “create innovative solutions for high performance systems”, debuted their latest prototype in Britain this week – a device capable of stopping cars and other vehicles using a blast of electromagnetic waves. The RF Safe-Stop, while is still in its early stages, was successfully demonstrated for a group of onlookers at Throckmorton Airfield in Worcestershire and is now generating rabid interest among military leaders and police forces worldwide for its ability to stop a car’s engine without using lethal force.

 
The Safe-Stop gun was created to essentially confuse a vehicle’s electronic system to the point that it temporarily disables it, bringing the vehicle to a halt. Intense RF (radio frequency) pulses or electromagnetic waves projected from the device are effective within seconds at tested ranges of up to 50 meters, and so far have worked on cars, motorcycles and even boats. In the demo of the RF Safe-Stop, once the car entered the gun’s range, its lights and dials began to show erratic behavior and then the engine stopped causing the car to roll to a halt. Once the ECU (engine control unit) of the vehicle is affected, it will try and reset; however, as long as you keep the system “confused”, the engine will not be able to restart. Man, would I have ever loved to have been there to see that – I mean, if I can’t travel to work in a hover car, a magic machine-stopping wave gun is a close second as far as morning traffic gadgets go.

 
Manager for the product Andy Wood has stated that so far 17 nations and five UK government bodies have shown interest in E2V’s latest device. There will obviously be a flood of military and police interest as well, as soon as the technology comes a little further along in its development process. The primary use for now is military control of vehicles entering restricted areas, without the need for lethal force.

 
There has been some discussion regarding the safety and effectiveness of the RF Safe-Stop in the last couple of days. For starters, whether or not it was the safest method for stopping two-wheeled vehicles, and whether it would permanently affect a car’s electronic brake and steering system. Deputy Chief Constable Andy Holt of the Association of Chief Police Officers recently evaluated the technology, and pointed out that at the very least, it was a safer alternative than the tire deflation devices used by some police forces that pose the risk of causing serious injury to two-wheeled riders. Additionally, E2V has stated that it did not believe that the RF Safe-Stop posed any risk to individuals using a pacemaker. As far as effectiveness goes, product manager Andy Wood stated “Certainly if you took a 1960’s Land Rover, there’s a good chance you’re not going to stop it”.

 
Regardless of how safe or effective the RF Safe-Stop is deemed to be over the course of the next few months, it is the kind of technology that can’t be undone – I suspect we can all look forward to the police, military and certainly the brilliant filmmakers in Hollywood to start utilizing this new gadget’s power as soon as it becomes readily available.