Washington, March 5 (ANI): Police can now bring fleeing vehicles to a controlled stop at the push of a button.
Scientists have come out with two remote-controlled devices that can stop vehicles in their tracks.
Combining the ideas behind a squid's sticky tendrils and Spiderman's super-strong webbing, scientists created a prototype for the first remote device able to stop vehicles in their tracks: the Safe, Quick, Undercarriage Immobilization Device (SQUID) in 2010.
At the push of a button, spiked arms shot out and entangled in a car's axles-bringing a racing vehicle to a screeching halt.
With funding from Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, and the expertise of the engineers at Engineering Science Analysis Corporation (ESA), the SQUID prototype was a success.
But, the engineers and law enforcement recognized that the SQUID had room for improvement.
This led to the creation of the recently patented and made commercially available, the especially unique Pit-BUL and NightHawk, which can stop anything from a compact car to a full-size SUV.
Spawned from the original concept of the SQUID, the Pit-Ballistic Undercarriage Lanyard (Pit-BUL) essentially is a tricked out speed bump. Hidden inside is a set of spikes attached to a net. When deployed, the spikes puncture the tires and the net tangles in the car's axles. Made of easy to combine panels, Pit-BUL can be set up for single or double lane coverage.
The engineers partnered with Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company (PSEMC), and S 'n' T to developed the devices.
"If a driver blows through a checkpoint, the agent can press a button and the car's tires are spiked and netted in milliseconds," said Mark Kaczmarek, the SQUID program manager in S 'n' T's Borders and Maritime Security Division.
"No high-speed pursuit is needed, and no one's life is put at risk," he added.
Pit-BUL can also be equipped with a motion activated sensor for locations needing secondary security.
For example, the Pit-BUL can be placed near the gate of a facility. If somebody crashes through the gate when no officers are on duty, the sensor activates the Pit-BUL to deploy. The alleged gate crasher can be netted and stopped and then apprehended on the spot.
PSEMC has performed more than 225 tests that prove Pit-BUL's instantaneous vehicle stopping power.
Evolved from the arms of the original SQUID, the NightHawk, was also developed by PSEMC along with its partner, Stop Stick Ltd.
The NightHawk is a remote-controlled spike strip disguised as a small suitcase. Currently, spike strips are placed by hand in the fleeing driver's path, usually at the last second so as not to impede other traffic. The NightHawk, placed on the roadside, does not require an officer to stand nearby to deploy the device.
Traditional methods of deploying spike strips by hand in the path of a fleeing driver can put an officer's life in danger, and are not always effective.
ESA president Martin Martinez explained: "When an officer is radioed that a fleeing vehicle is approaching, they can quickly place NightHawk on the side of the road and move a safe distance away. When the target vehicle approaches, before the driver has a chance to react, the officer can remotely trigger the spiked arm to deploy across the street and puncture the vehicle's tires."
Pressing the remote's button a second time retracts the spikes out of the way of oncoming traffic. Within seconds, NightHawk can be placed, deployed, and retracted.
"When somebody flees, they put their life, the officers' lives, and nearby pedestrians' or commuters' lives in danger. Pit-BUL and NightHawk provide law enforcement officers the added safety as well as the ability to halt feeling vehicles from a distance," said Kaczmarek. (ANI)
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