Deploying a spike strip to safely disable only the vehicle being pursued is a tricky game for law enforcement. So a company called Pacific Scientific (now Meggitt) has developed a Safe, Quick, Undercarriage Immobilisation Device — also known as a SQUID — that fits inside a self-deploying suitcase called the NightHawk.
Functioning like a really dangerous can of spring snakes, the suitcase is simply placed at the side of a road and then remotely triggered by an officer. A long flexible strip filled with hollowed spikes blasts across multiple lanes, and once the target vehicle has crossed it, the strip can be remotely retracted in less than a second to prevent other vehicles from suffering tyre damage.
There’s no word on when the NightHawk will be available, but one thing’s for certain: it can’t be carry-on friendly. [Pacific Scientific via Gizmag]