Phaser (as seen in Star Trek)
Star Trek‘s phaser, a direct-energy weapon capable of stunning or completely disintegrating uncooperative space aliens, first served as an inspiration for the Pulsed Energy Projectile. The PEP was designed to shoot a plasma pulse that either stunned or killed targets, but was abandoned after six years when scientists determined, in technical terms, that “The damned thing doesn’t work.” Still, that led to the invention of the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response gun, or PHaSR, which was built by the Department of Defense to temporarily blind and disorient bad guys. It uses two lasers: one to distract, and one to heat up the skin and repel the assailant. Unfortunately, it sounded a lot cooler than it was; it would only work properly when the skin was completely bare. Since not many villains roam the streets nude, it was a bust.
Okay, but now scientists have figured it out! The “Phased Hyper-Acceleration for Shock, EMP, and Radiation,” or PHASER, will use super-fast lightning projectiles to stun the hell out of someone and fry the electronics on their vehicle or rocket. The technology has yet to be perfected; funding has and continues to be an issue.
Lastly, the Multimode Directed Energy Armament Systems (MDEAS) project, still in the experimental stages, will use a laser pulse that can deliver an electric shock subtle enough to stun or powerful enough to kill the target. A prototype is scheduled for release by 2012.
