Innovation and R&D

Gavekal Research are still bullish on the US economy; despite all the visible problems - deficits, poor wage growth, incipient inflation - the doughty researchers believe "this time it's different". This view is based on rapidly growing R&D spending, particularly in the broad area of "innovation" - the ipods of the world etc. I did some research myself to see what great new ideas the Yanks are coming up with, and here is the one I found:


PHOENIX (AP) - The nation's largest stun-gun maker has a new way to deliver a jolt of electricity to the human body: a 12-gauge shotgun.

Taser International is developing X-REP. That stands for Extended Range Electro-Muscular Projectile. It's a shotgun shell designed to combine the blunt-force trauma of a fast-moving baseball with the electrical current of a stun gun.

Existing Tasers can only hit a target about 25 feet away. The shotgun shell reaches 30 yards and the company wants to extend the range to about 100 yards before the product goes on sale next year.

The new device will allow police officers, troops and private citizens to hit a person from a much greater distance than Tasers and will be considered a high-level-force weapon. Human rights organizations, which blame Tasers for dozens of deaths, are already objecting to the new device.

Silly human rights people!