What non-lethal weapon was named by its inventor Jack Cover after the teen science fiction character Tom Swift?
"Tom condescendingly."" Tom Swift's fictional inventions have apparently inspired several actual inventions, among them Lee Felsenstein's ""Tom Swift Terminal"", which ""drove the creation of an early personal computer known as the Sol"", and the taser. The name ""taser"" was originally ""TSER"", for ""Tom Swift Electric Rifle"". The invention was named for the central device in the story ""Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle"" (1911); according to inventor Jack Cover, ""an 'A' was added because we got tired of answering the phone 'TSER.'"" A number of scientists, inventors, and science fiction writers have also credited Tom Swift with inspiring them, including"
"instances where Tasers have contributed to serious injury or death. Other companies have produced similar devices (e.g., Raysun X1). Jack Cover, a NASA researcher, began developing the Taser in 1969. By 1974, Cover had completed the device, which he named after a book featuring his childhood hero Tom Swift, ""Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle"", by ""Victor Appleton"" (a house pseudonym of the Stratemeyer Syndicate). The Taser Public Defender used gunpowder as its propellant, which led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to classify it as a firearm in 1976. The backformed verb ""to tase"" is used sometimes. Taser"
"1974, Cover had completed the device, which he named the ""Tom Swift Electric Rifle"" (TSER), referencing the novel ""Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle"". To make it easier to pronounce as a word, Cover later added an ""A"" to the acronym to form ""TASER"". The Taser Public Defender used gunpowder as its propellant, which led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to classify it as a firearm in 1976. This limited sales and Cover's company, Taser Systems Inc., collapsed. In 1991, Rick and Tom Smith formed AIR TASER, Inc. to, with Cover, design a version of the device that"
"Tom Swift Tom Swift is the main character of five series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention and technology. First published in 1910, the series total more than 100 volumes. The character was created by Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging firm. Tom's adventures have been written by various ghostwriters, beginning with Howard Garis. Most of the books are credited to the collective pseudonym ""Victor Appleton"". The 33 volumes of the second series use the pseudonym Victor Appleton II for the author. For this series, and some of the later"
"Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle; or, Daring Adventures in Elephant Land is a young adult novel published in 1911, written by Stratemeyer Syndicate writers using the pen name Victor Appleton. It is Volume 10 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. The novel is notable for inspiring the name of the Taser. While Tom Swift is working on his latest new invention, the electric rifle, he meets an African safari master whose stories of elephant hunting sends the group off to deepest, darkest Africa. Hunting for ivory is"
"invention is similar to the recoil system used in the French 75mm field gun. Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship, or, The Naval Terror of the Seas, is Volume 18 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. The story was written in 1915, and World War I, also known as The Great War, was already in progress. As the story opens, Tom is explaining his newest invention to his friend, Ned Newton. Just as Tom is in the middle of explaining the problems he is having, a fire erupts"
"construction, character and ideas."" Nonetheless, the series sold a respectable 6 million copies in its 17-year run, spawned at least four subsequent ""Tom Swift"" series, and is remembered fondly by generations of children. Tom Swift Jr. Tom Swift Jr. is the central character in a series of 33 science fiction adventure novels for male adolescents, following in the tradition of the earlier Tom Swift (""Senior"") novels. The series was titled ""The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures"". Unlike the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys titles that were also products of the prolific Stratemeyer Syndicate, the original Tom Swift stories were not"
"secret compartment behind the Captain's safe, and recovered from the ""Boldero"" just in time to escape from the now-arriving ""Wonder"". With the $300,000 in gold as a deposit at Tom's local bank in Shopton, the bank considers Tom one of their biggest investors, and with this new power, Tom manages to bring his chum, Ned Newton, a promotion. Tom Swift Intrepid inventor & mechanic. Plucky, lively, resourceful, brave and clever. Home-schooled at a college level by his father, Barton Swift. Athlete and hunter. Familiar with how to stalk game and firearms. Loves all things mechanical. Is a decent cook, too."
"Tom Swift Jr. Tom Swift Jr. is the central character in a series of 33 science fiction adventure novels for male adolescents, following in the tradition of the earlier Tom Swift (""Senior"") novels. The series was titled ""The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures"". Unlike the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys titles that were also products of the prolific Stratemeyer Syndicate, the original Tom Swift stories were not rewritten in the 1950s to modernize them. It was decided that the protagonist of the new series would be the son of the earlier Tom Swift and his wife, Mary Nestor Swift; the"
"loyal and quip-prone friend Bud Barclay, his comic-relief cook ""Chow"" Winkler, a spy (typically from Soviet stand-ins Brungaria or Kranjovia), use of a wonder-material called Tomasite that did anything the story needed, the amazingly versatile force-ray repelatron, and atomic-powered everything, including the atomicar. The first invention of the series and the one making the most frequent appearances in subsequent stories, the Flying Lab (named ""Sky Queen""), was a giant VTOL research airplane the size of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The Tom Swift Jr. stories had stronger science-fiction elements than the earlier series, particularly in the later volumes. One subplot,"
"Stun belt A stun belt is a belt that is fastened around the subject's waist, leg, or arm that carries a battery and control pack, and contains features to stop the subject from unfastening or removing it. A remote-control signal is sent to tell the control pack to give the subject an electric shock. The electrical pulse delivered by the control pack is based on the waveform developed by Jack Cover, which he called the TASER. Cover took the name from the Victor Appleton novel, Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle. Some models are activated by the subject's movement. These"
"the least of their worries, as they find out some old friends are being held hostage by the fearsome tribes of the red pygmies. Swift builds two major inventions in this volume. The first is a replacement airship, known as ""The Black Hawk"". This new airship is to replace ""The Red Cloud"", which was destroyed during his adventures in ""Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice"". This airship is of the same general construction as ""The Red Cloud"", but is smaller and more maneuverable. Of foremost notice is Swift's invention of the ""electric rifle"", a gun which fires bolts of"
"Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon, or, The Longest Shots on Record, is Volume 16 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. The story opens with a discussion between Barton Swift and an old friend, Alec Peterson. Alec is trying to convince Mr. Swift to finance an expedition to locate a hidden opal mine, but Mr. Swift is reluctant. In the middle of the conversation, Tom is flying one of his airships, but gets tangled up in power lines. Mr. Peterson cuts the wires, saving Tom's life. Tom is"
"China Lake. He was a scientist at North American Aviation from 1952 until 1964 and also worked for NASA (Apollo program), IBM and Hughes Aircraft. In 1970, he formed Taser Systems, Inc., named for a Tom Swift novel about the Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle. Because the Taser used gunpowder to launch the darts, the federal government considered it a firearm, a classification that ruled out a civilian market and also discouraged police and military sales. Cover was married three times, the first two ended in divorce. His last marriage was to Ginny. He had four children, a son and"
"Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship, or, The Naval Terror of the Seas, is Volume 18 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. The story was written in 1915, and World War I, also known as The Great War, was already in progress. As the story opens, Tom is explaining his newest invention to his friend, Ned Newton. Just as Tom is in the middle of explaining the problems he is having, a fire erupts in one of the sheds, where explosives are stored. After the fire has been"
"Ray Kurzweil, Robert A. Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. The Tom Swift, Jr. adventures were Steve Wozniak's favorite reading as a boy and inspired him to become a scientist. According to Wozniak, reading the Tom Swift books made him feel ""that engineers can save the world from all sorts of conflict and evil"". ""Gone with the Wind"" author Margaret Mitchell said she read the series as a child. Tom Swift Tom Swift is the main character of five series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention and technology. First published in 1910, the series total more"
"Tom Swift III Tom Swift III is the unofficial name of this series of juvenile science fiction adventure novels, the third to feature a protagonist named Tom Swift. Unlike the previous series, it was not created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, but was created by Wanderer Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, who had bought out the Syndicate and obtained the rights of some of the Syndicate's series. However, all gave the author as Victor Appleton, as with the previous series. This series is primarily set in outer space, with various missions to solar system locales. This series was released"
"Tom Swift and His Air Scout Tom Swift and His Air Scout, Or, Uncle Sam's Mastery of the Sky, is Volume 22 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. World War I still rages on in Europe, and Tom Swift is still inventing wartime technology, but inspiration comes in the form of infatuation: while taking Mary Nestor for a brief flight, he is unable to communicate due to the noise of the engine, which sets Tom onto the track of developing a totally silent airship. While Mary Nestor was the spark, Tom intends to offer"
"in paperback format, although one hardback edition was released of the first 9 volumes. Books in the series: Tom Swift III Tom Swift III is the unofficial name of this series of juvenile science fiction adventure novels, the third to feature a protagonist named Tom Swift. Unlike the previous series, it was not created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, but was created by Wanderer Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, who had bought out the Syndicate and obtained the rights of some of the Syndicate's series. However, all gave the author as Victor Appleton, as with the previous series. This"
"Axon (company) Axon (formerly TASER International, Inc.) is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company which develops technology and weapons products for law enforcement and civilians. Its flagship product and former namesake is Taser, a line of electroshock weapons. The company has since diversified into technology products for law enforcement, including a line of body cameras and Evidence.com, a cloud-based digital evidence platform. As of 2017, body cameras and associated services comprise a quarter of Axon's overall business. In 1969, NASA researcher Jack Cover began to develop a non-lethal electric weapon to help police officers control suspects, as an alternative to firearms. By"
"Tom Swift IV Tom Swift IV is the unofficial name of a series of juvenile science fiction adventure novels, the fourth to feature a protagonist named Tom Swift. Unlike the previous series, it was not created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, but was created by Byron Preiss Visual Productions for Simon & Schuster, who had bought out the Syndicate and obtained the rights of some of the Syndicate's series. However, all gave the author as Victor Appleton, as with the previous series. Unlike the third Tom Swift series, this one is entirely set on Earth (with occasional space trips to the"
"so grateful to Mr. Peterson that Tom is willing to finance the expedition himself. In the meanwhile, the story segues to Tom's next invention, a cannon bigger than any that has been built to date. Tom hopes to sell his invention to the United States government, for use in protecting the Panama Canal, which was still under active construction at the time of the story. The cannon Tom invents is the largest gun to date. Measuring 100 feet in length, it has a 30-inch caliber, and Tom estimates he can launch a 2 ton projectile 30 miles. Tom Swift and"
"a documentary film (later retitled ""Killing Them Safely"") about TASER International, the primary manufacturer of TASER weapons for law enforcement. The film premiered on April 17, 2015 in World Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival. National USA release of the film occurred on November 27, 2015. Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle; or, Daring Adventures in Elephant Land is a young adult novel published in 1911, written by Stratemeyer Syndicate writers using the pen name Victor Appleton. It is Volume 10 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. The"
"Moon). This series was released only in paperback format. Books in the series: Hardy Boys/Tom Swift Ultra Thrillers by Franklin W. Dixon Tom Swift IV Tom Swift IV is the unofficial name of a series of juvenile science fiction adventure novels, the fourth to feature a protagonist named Tom Swift. Unlike the previous series, it was not created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, but was created by Byron Preiss Visual Productions for Simon & Schuster, who had bought out the Syndicate and obtained the rights of some of the Syndicate's series. However, all gave the author as Victor Appleton, as with"
"International CEO Patrick Smith has testified in a Taser-related lawsuit that the catalyst for the development of the device was the ""shooting death of two of his high school acquaintances"" by a ""guy with a legally licensed gun who lost his temper"". In 1993, Rick Smith and his brother Thomas began to investigate what they called ""safer use of force option[s] for citizens and law enforcement"". At their Scottsdale, Arizona, facilities, the brothers worked with the ""...original Taser inventor, Jack Cover"" to develop a ""non-firearm Taser electronic control device"". The 1994 Air Taser Model 34000 had an ""anti-felon identification (AFID)"
"series, the main character is ""Tom Swift, Jr."" New titles have been published as recently as 2007. Most of the various series emphasized Tom's inventions. The books generally describe the effects of science and technology as wholly beneficial, and the role of the inventor in society as admirable and heroic. Translated into many languages, the books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Tom Swift has also been the subject of a board game and several attempted adaptations into other media. Tom Swift has been cited as an inspiration by various scientists and inventors. In his various incarnations, Tom"
"using the first diesel electric locomotive. The house on wheels that Tom invents for 1929's ""Tom Swift and His House on Wheels"" pre-dated the first house trailer by a year.""Tom Swift and His Diving Seacopter"" (1952) features a flying submarine similar to one planned by the United States Department of Defense four years later in 1956. Other inventions of Tom's have not happened, such as the device for silencing airplane engines that he invents in ""Tom Swift and His Magnetic Silencer"" (1941). The character of Tom Swift was conceived about 1910 by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a"
"Tom Swift and His Airship Tom Swift and His Airship, or, The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud, is Volume 3 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. In Tom Swift and His Airship, Tom Swift has finished his latest invention- the Red Cloud, a fast and innovative airship. Tom is anxious for a cross-country trial, but just before he and his friends take off, the Shopton bank is robbed. No sooner is Tom in the air than he is blamed for the robbery. Suddenly, he's a wanted fugitive but doesn't know why until he's"
"a television series. As of 2015, these plans had not come to fruition. ""Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle"" contains heavy racism, depicting Africans as brutish, uncivilized animals, and the white protagonist as their paternal savior. The Tom Swift books have been credited with assisting the success of American science fiction and with establishing the edisonade (stories focusing on brilliant scientists and inventors) as a basic cultural myth. Tom Swift's adventures have been popular since the character's inception in 1910: by 1914, 150,000 copies a year were being sold and a 1929 study found the series to be second in"
"Nock gun The Nock gun was a seven-barrelled flintlock smoothbore firearm used by the Royal Navy during the early stages of the Napoleonic Wars. It is a type of volley gun adapted for ship-to-ship fighting, but was limited in its use because of the powerful recoil and eventually discontinued. Its bizarre appearance and operation has led to it being portrayed in modern fictional works, notably in ""The Alamo"" feature film, and the ""Richard Sharpe"" series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. The weapon was invented by British engineer James Wilson in 1779, and named after Henry Nock, the London-based armaments manufacturer"
"led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to classify it as a firearm in 1976. Cover's patent was adapted by Nova Technologies in 1983 for the Nova XR-5000, their first non-projectile hand-held style stun gun. The XR-5000 design was widely copied as the source for the compact handheld stun gun used today. Electroshock weapon technology uses a temporary high-voltage, low-current electrical discharge to override the body's muscle-triggering mechanisms. Commonly referred to as a stun gun, electroshock weapons are a relative of cattle prods, which have been around for over 100 years and are the precursor of stun guns. The"
"Thompson submachine gun The Thompson submachine gun is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1918, that became infamous during the Prohibition era, being a signature weapon of various crime syndicates in the United States. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals. The Thompson submachine gun was also known informally as the ""Tommy Gun"", ""Annihilator"", ""Chicago Typewriter"", ""Chicago Piano"", ""Chicago Style"", ""Chicago Organ Grinder"", ""Trench Broom"", ""Trench Sweeper"", ""The Chopper"", and simply ""The Thompson"". The Thompson was favored by soldiers, criminals, police, FBI and"
"The original Tom Swift has been claimed to represent the early 20th-century conception of inventors. Tom has no formal education after high school; according to critic Robert Von der Osten, Tom's ability to invent is presented as ""somehow innate"". Tom is not a theorist but a tinkerer and, later, an experimenter who, with his research team, finds practical applications for others' research; Tom does not so much methodically develop and perfect inventions as find them by trial and error. Tom's inventions are not at first innovative. In the first two books of the series, he fixes a motorcycle and a"