Premium
40‐Hz Square‐Wave Stimulation Requires Less Energy to Produce Muscle Contraction: Compared with the TASER ® X 26 Conducted Energy Weapon
Author(s) -
Comeaux James A.,
Jauchem James R.,
Duane Cox D.,
Crane Carrie C.,
D'Andrea John A.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12122
Subject(s) - stimulation , square wave , contraction (grammar) , muscle contraction , waveform , voltage , biomedical engineering , physics , materials science , chemistry , medicine , anatomy , quantum mechanics
Conducted energy weapons ( CEW s) (including the Advanced TASER ® X26 model produced by TASER International, Inc.) incapacitate individuals by causing muscle contractions. In this study using anesthetized swine, the potential incapacitating effect of primarily monophasic, 19‐ H z voltage imposed by the commercial CEW was compared with the effect of voltages imposed by a laboratory device that created 40‐ H z square waves. Forces of muscle contraction were measured with the use of strain gauges. Stimulation with 40‐ H z square waves required less pulse energy than stimulation with the commercial CEW to produce similar muscle contraction. The square‐pulse stimulation, at the higher repetition rate, caused a more complete tetanus at a lower energy. Use of such a simple shape of waveform may be used to make future nonlethal weapon devices more efficient.