Weird and Wacky Engineering
Taser for kids
Clive Maxfield
11/20/2012 1:58 PM EST
With regard to my entry for the Geek Hat Competition at the forthcoming Design West Conference in April 2013 (Click Here to see my earlier blog on this topic), my engineer chum Rick Curl has been playing with a Taser to generate some interesting sparks (or an alternative interesting effect if I'm not very careful).
As part of his research, Rick ran across This Website that advertises what appears to be a Taser for kids. The blurb on the site says:
This has to be a spoof … doesn’t it?
If you found this article to be interest, visit Microcontroller / MCU Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs on all sorts of "stuff" – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to all aspects of designing and using microcontrollers.
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Last but certainly not least, make sure you check out all of the discussions and other information resources at All Programmable Planet. For example, in addition to blogs by yours truly, microcontroller expert Duane Benson is learning how to use FPGAs to augment (sometimes replace) the MCUs in his robot (and other) projects.
As part of his research, Rick ran across This Website that advertises what appears to be a Taser for kids. The blurb on the site says:
Guarantees you'll have children that obey every command!
You'll have the best dressed and most respectful children in your neighborhood, or Your Money Back!
Specially engineered for children. Has a lower voltage output, and smaller barbed spikes than the popular adult model compliance tool.
40,000 Volts are sent through the Barbed Spikes guaranteeing compliance from even the most unruly children... who just won't listen.
Barbed Spikes are easily removed without tools!
Imagine their surprise the first time they say NO, and you show them how well the Taseler for KIDS! works!
This has to be a spoof … doesn’t it?
If you found this article to be interest, visit Microcontroller / MCU Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs on all sorts of "stuff" – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to all aspects of designing and using microcontrollers.
Also, you can obtain a highlights update delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for my weekly newsletter – just Click Here to request this newsletter using the Manage Newsletters tab (if you aren't already a member you'll be asked to register, but it's free and painless so don't let that stop you [grin]).
Last but certainly not least, make sure you check out all of the discussions and other information resources at All Programmable Planet. For example, in addition to blogs by yours truly, microcontroller expert Duane Benson is learning how to use FPGAs to augment (sometimes replace) the MCUs in his robot (and other) projects.
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Etmax
11/20/2012 6:56 PM EST
I gotta have me one of those :-) Just kidding, though I've got to say, the epidemic of violence we see in adults is largely due to a generation of parents that wasn't able to show affection to their kids when they good and willing to chastise them (not talking about tasers or belting them senseless here) when they were out of hand. Instead it was ignore them or set them in front of the TV and then walk away from or bow to their moods when they stepped out of line.
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Max the Magnificent
11/21/2012 9:57 AM EST
Did you read the notes on the page? Someone put a huge amount of time into this.
I totally agree with you. When I was a kid we turned the TV off if anyone came to the house. Also we didn't even have the radio on when we all sat down for a meal, instead my parents chatted with me about "this and that".
When I was about 6 years' old, my dad left for work at 6:00am each morning and didn't get home till about 6:00pm at night, but as soon as he did get home he found the time to come out in our back yard and kick a soccer ball around with me for 30 mins or so.
My dad never raised a hand to me -- or even his voice (my mom did that for him :-) If he was upset with something I'd done I just knew it. For example...
I remember when I put salt in the sugar bowl (again, I was about 6 years' old) as a joke. I couldn't wait to see what happened. When my dad next made a cup of coffee he put two spoons of sugar (salt) in and took it into the front room.
I followed him in and sat on the sofa pretending to watch TV but looking at him out of the corner of my eye.
He picked his cup up and started sipping. He didn't raise an eyebrow -- he drank the whole cup. With every sip my "joke" became less funny. Although his expression hadn't changed and he carried on reading his newspaper, his displeasure radiated throughout the house.
I remember getting up and meandering my way into the kitchen. My mom was at the sink doing something or other with her back to me. Without looking round she said "I don't know what you've done, but this isn't going to stop until you apologize for it."
So I went back in the front/family room and said I was sorry, and my dad looked up and said "Don't do that again son," and smiled at me and the mood of doom and gloom disappeared and the sun came out and the birds started singing again (well, it felt like that :-)
I was lucky enough to have the most amazingly "normal" childhood of anyone I know...
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OmegaMan
11/21/2012 1:50 PM EST
I'm looking forward to purchasing one and building up my high-voltage immunity. :)
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Max the Magnificent
11/21/2012 1:56 PM EST
LOL
I must be doing something wrong -- I'm not getting immune -- no matter how many times I use it, it still hurts!!!
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OmegaMan
11/21/2012 2:06 PM EST
Max, you need to add the extra battery pack to boost the voltage to 250,000+ volts (only legal in Venezuela)
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Max the Magnificent
11/21/2012 2:09 PM EST
Now my eyes are watering
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mtripoli
11/21/2012 2:44 PM EST
Reminds me of a similar stunt we pulled years ago. We were designing kids toys at the time and had a "hidden" page with products like "Mr. Sticky" Super Glue Doll (keep away from eyes), "Kid Friendly Knives" with "Real Blood Effects", etc. I agree, a ton of work went into this (wish I was this bored)... The "tell" is if you look up the patents mentioned at the very end; one is for a "Portable Travel Potty" and the other is for a "Disposable Body Fluid Absorbent Pad" that one being for a diaper and 25 pages! You can look them up if you want using www.pat2pdf.org (if you use this site more than once, give'em at least $3.00 - that's what the USPTO charges!).
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Guru of Grounding
11/21/2012 5:05 PM EST
Great, now we have a way to reveal latent heart problems in kids as well as adults! We had a recent death (revived with CPR, but now brain damaged) here in California caused by officers who tasered a lady for resisting a search of her purse. And there have been others who didn't survive. Tasers are deadly weapons - adding to the arsenal in a gun-crazed country! Of course, the makers have their heads in the sand, saying "no credible study ... blah, blah". I can only hope this ad is a joke!
Incidentally, you can view complete patents for free at the USPTO website ... just install "AlternaTIFF", a free program.
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Duane Benson
11/24/2012 1:28 AM EST
When I read the title of the article and looked at the picture, my thought was that this is a taser designed for kids to carry around, rather than for being used on kids. Now, that could change the family dynamic. :-)
The article referred to: "Tasered Youths Fare as Well as Adults, New Research Says" is actually on the Wake Forest Medical Center website. My guess is that the taser for kids website is a political statement about tasers in general.
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SylvieBarak
11/26/2012 8:54 AM EST
"Barbed Spikes are easily removed without tools!" - Oh my god... and I thought my parents were strict with me!!
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Max the Magnificent
12/3/2012 11:08 AM EST
I hate to tell you, but I think your parents just purchased one...
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one_armed_bandit
11/26/2012 6:47 PM EST
At first I thought this was real and immediately thought they would be issued to police for schools - no joke - cops have tasered 6 year olds.
But - it was a joke once I read it. One hopes.
It's a good thing kids don't come with a "pause" button. If they did, there would have to be a timeout, otherwise you might look around one day and ask "Where's Johnny?". Your wife would say "In the closet for the last 6 months".
My father once remarked the problem with shock collars on kids would be overuse. When my son turned 13, I called my father and apologized. (Son turns 21 next week! Oye!)
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RSD
12/1/2012 1:23 AM EST
Insanity is hereditary... you get it from your kids!
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Max the Magnificent
12/3/2012 11:09 AM EST
LOL Plus you can catch a lot of gray hairs from them :-)
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