Science fiction fans may also recall the electric rifle, a somewhat more fanciful idea from the 1911 classic Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle. The creature fell stunned, and the force of its fallīrought it within the reach of dexterous hunter's grasp. Captain Nemo's companion shouldered his gunĪnd fired, when it was only a few yards above the waves. Shots which ever made the nerves of a hunter thrill.Ī large bird of great breadth of wing, clearly visible, approached, It is even possible to use them to bag game that is flying mere feet above the waves: In Verne's novel, the leyden balls are fired with special rifles that are powered by compressed air it is only necessary that they touch the target. With the slightest shock they are discharged, and the animal, Into which the electricity is forced to a very high tension. These glass cases are covered with a case of steel,Īnd weighted with a pellet of lead they are real Leyden bottles, the balls sent by this gun are not ordinary balls, but littleĬases of glass. In his 1875 science fiction classic 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Jules Verne writes about an undersea hunting expedition using a very unique form of bullet - a Leyden ball: Midé claims the Piezer could be effective at 40 to 50 meters, longer than the 'bean bag' rounds also dispensed with shotguns. The Piezer is designed to be fired from a standard 12-gauge shotgun. The Piezer contains piezoelectric crystals, which produce a voltage when they are compressed. The company has been awarded a Phase I SBIR from the Department of Homeland Security for development of the device, described as 'an untethered electro-muscular disruption non-lethal stun weapon based on piezoelectric technology for civil law enforcement officers and the military.' The range of the device is limited to the length of the wires that carry the electrical charge - typically no more than 20 feet. Conventional 'stun-gun' devices like the Taser rely on batteries linked to transformers and a capacitor. Midé Technology Corporation of Medford, Massachusetts is working on a non-lethal device called the Piezer (pronounced 'pee-ay’-zer'). Piezer - Homeland Security Orders Verne's 1875 'Leyden Ball'

Piezo crystal stun gun