Taser-proof your clothes with carbon fiber

Posted by Ariel Levin-Waldman Categories: Wearables, Mods / Hacks, Science

Remember the scene in Batman Begins where Christian Bale takes a taser directly to his bat armor and doesn't flinch? If you found that pretty cool then get excited, because this same borderline-superhuman ability can be yours. Hackaday user Shenzhen claims to have developed a way to make stun gun-proof clothing.

You won't look as intimidating as the Batman but you can get away with more style since just about any piece of clothing can be converted into high tech shock-armor. You just need a layer of carbon fiber, and that's widely available, given that it is commonly used in upholstery fabric at under $20 per yard.

It works by exploiting how electricity functions. When a taser or a stun gun hits a person the target creates a circuit between the two prongs. That's when about a million volts travels through the completed circuit, which is bad what that is you. But here's the big secret- electricity follows the path of least resistance, and if there is a more conductive material for a current to flow through, it will take that way. That's the carbon fiber layer. The electricity will pass through this layer instead of a person, making the wearer immune to tasers.

Shenzhen has tested his design with single layers of carbon fiber and claims it protects against up to 800,000 volts. More layers of carbon fiber provide increased protection.

Interested in some of the latest in wearable high tech security? Stay tuned for our cyberpunk age series on avoiding facial recognition and even thermal imaging.