Unkowns Kodal

The conception and design of the Stun-gun weren't the same as our usual project", recalls Bob Mawhinney, Manager of Ordnance Systems at MBAssociates. "There wasn't a set of requirements available which stated what had to be done. It was more that a problem existed and in my position I was able to spend some time on it. Once we came across some key features we were able to set our own requirements and could make sure we met them."

Bob Mawhinney is a mechanical engineering graduate from Auburn University (1959) with a Master's degree from University of California-Berkeley (1969). He had spent four years in the navy working on ordnance devices. On his discharge in 1963 he joined MBAssociates where he had worked himself up to his present position.

MBAssociates (MBA) is, for its size, 250 employees, one of the most advanced high-technology companies. Forty percent of its employees hold advanced degrees. It was established in 1960 in San Ramon, 30 miles from San Francisco. For its first seven years it remained an R&D company developing the technology of miniature rocketry and acquiring a highly skilled engineering-scientific team. In 1967 MBA expanded its base and obtained development and production contracts in unconventional ordnance devices, weaponry systems and specialized computer hardware.

In 1969 MBA and Bob decided to look into the area of nonlethal weapons. It had occurred to Bob that the law enforcement agencies had no suitable weapon between hand-to-hand combat and lethal firearms. The response available could not always match the threat. It was about this time that the Kent State incident sharply focused on the need for a nonlethal weapon.

Bob's search started by finding all there was to know about the non-lethal weapons developed in the last ten years. Table 1 lists a number of these systems. The search uncovered little documentation on their development or on their effectiveness. Bob found "Most of the items were developed by people who just came up with wild new ideas, tried them and for some reason or other did not get anywhere, so dropped them."

Early discussions with law enforcement agencies indicated that a device with a range greater than a nightstick was needed. The nightstick was quite effective at close-range but something was needed which would reach out about 100 feet. A projectile or impact type device was called for.

Low-Lethality Devices

Table 1

Nightstick-Baton Light

Firearms Sound

Animals Projectiles