Meet the weaponised smartphone
The Annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has so far been dominated by products geared towards leisure and travel. Not much has been presented to the tech friendly crowd in way of new innovative methods of self-defence-until now.
Added to this year's haul of technological wizardry, we see the world's first stun gun smartphone case. The Yellow Jacket iPhone case is a product of inventor and co-founder of Yellow Jacket, Seth Froom.
According to Froom, the vision for the stun gun iPhone came from the desire to create a non-lethal self-defence weapon that could be carried with convenience. The company cited its own research that 13 per cent of women in the US would be attacked at some point in their lifetime, as evidence for the need for such a device.
The Yellow Jacket packs a powerful punch, with 650,000 volts in a 14oz case. At present it is only available for the iPhone 4 model. However, the model for the iPhone 5 is making its debut at CES and will be available for purchase in February.
Not only can the Yellow Jacket provide its owner with a defensive shock if needed, it can also provide an additional 24 hours of battery life without compromising the effectiveness of the stun gun.
Should users be concerned about shocking themselves, the device contains two safety features. First, the safety switch must be activated before the trigger is engaged; second, there is a safety cap that prevents electrode to skin contact.