IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 18

Site	of	impact

taser	wire

Zone	of	maximum		
cardiac	sensitivity

taser	dart

flow	of
electric
charge
Site	of	impact

taser	dart
taser	wire

Freeze!
when	the	trigger	on	a	taser	gun	is	pulled,	the	
	compressed-nitrogen	cartridge	breaks	open.	
Enough	pressure	builds	up	inside	the	device	to	
launch	the	two	darts.	the	darts	are	tipped	with	
barbs	that	grab	hold	of	a	target's	clothing,	and	current	travels	down	the	wires	to	the	person.	the	gun	
generates	a	brief	arcing	pulse	to	close	the	circuit,	at	
which	point	the	voltage	drops.	Shots	from	a	taser	
gun	land,	on	average,	about	15	centimeters	apart	
on	the	torso.	
the	differences	between	the	cells	that	make	up	
heart	muscle	and	skeletal	muscle	are	key	components	of	the	taser's	safety.	for	example,	the	cells	
in	the	heart	generate	a	longer	electric	impulse	than	
those	in	skeletal	muscle	do,	and	it	takes	much	more	
current	to	trigger	cardiac	muscle	cells.

28	 IEEE	Spectrum	|	December	2007	|	NA		

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum December, 2007

IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - Cover1
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - Cover2
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 1
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 2
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 3
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 4
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 5
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 6
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 7
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 8
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 9
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IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 11
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IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 15
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 16
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 17
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 18
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 19
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 20
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 21
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 22
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 23
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 24
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 25
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 26
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 27
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 28
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 29
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 30
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 31
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 32
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 33
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 34
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 35
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 36
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 37
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 38
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 39
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 40
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 41
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 42
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 43
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 44
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 45
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 46
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 47
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 48
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 49
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 50
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 51
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - 52
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - Cover3
IEEE Spectrum December, 2007 - Cover4
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