Over-Penetration Risk of TASER 10 Conducted Electrical Weapon Darts in Humans.

Abstract

The TASER™ T10® (T10) is a new generation of conducted electrical weapon (CEW) introduced in 2023. T10 has significant new technology enhancements related to the deployed darts. These darts are thin-diameter, low-profile projectiles launched by primer-ignited black-powder instead of compressed nitrogen used in previous model launch platforms. They are also launched at higher muzzle velocity (62.5±9.1m/s or 205±30 feet/s) than previous CEW darts, to assist with enhanced target adherence. We retrospectively examined digital images of human tissue that had 40 T10 darts fired into it at measured velocities between 186 feet per second and 273 feet per second (56.7- 83.2m/s). Target sites included bare skin on the lower abdomen, mid-thigh, and buttocks. The T10 darts were fired via an adjustable velocity, compressed air cannon through a ballistic chronograph to record accurate projectile velocities. The images were evaluated for evidence of over-penetration. Even at the fastest velocities, no over-penetration of human tissue was noted. We conclude that the new CEW darts operate with a significant margin of safety in terms of muzzle velocity and risk of human tissue penetration when fired as intended into recommended target areas.