TASER International began with a concept by Rick Smith, who tracked down the original inventor of the TASER system in Tucson, Arizona. Rick Smith and Jack Cover began to tinker with the idea of using compressed air instead of gunpowder to deliver the probes so the device wouldn't be regulated as a firearm. The two returned to Scottsdale with Rick's brother Tom Smith joining the team.The Smith brothers incorporated their company in September 1993 and called it ICER Corp. They changed its name to AIR TASER, Inc. in December of that year. AIR TASER, Inc.'s team then formed its founding group by adding on Nick Wold as Director of Engineering; Malcolm Sherman as Director of Sales; Steve Tuttle as Director of Government Affairs; and Ray Rivera in charge of Technical Services and Information Systems at a small office in the Scottsdale Airpark at 7307 E. Evans Rd. These founding seven members worked on the first product, the AIR TASER Model 34000, throughout the remainder of 1994.What is the AUTO TASER?TASER International developed the AUTO TASER, a new generation of car security using TASER technology, in January of 1997. It was a steering wheel lock that would sound an alarm if moved and, if tampered with, the entire exterior of the AUTO TASER would eventually become electrified to prevent anyone from removing the locking mechanism from the steering wheel.It made its prototype debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The AUTO TASER was selected as the prestigious Innovations 1998 award winner at the 1998 CES in Las Vegas. During that show over 1,000 attendees volunteered to grab the AUTO TASER and experience its stunning effects. Although Pep Boys picked up the AUTO TASER product line, selling it at $249 and later marking it down to $199, the AUTO TASER could not compete with lower-priced steering wheel security devices. The AUTO TASER defocused the company from its core business, could not be sold to other manufacturers, and was discontinued 18 months after its debut.
For more details on the AUTO TASER, see the article "My Biggest Mistake" written by TASER International's CEO, Rick Smith.BIZNESS AS USUAL: My Biggest MistakeThe biggest mistake we have made at TASER International was to follow our original technology of less-lethal weapons into a different marketplace. In 1997, we developed an automotive security device called the AUTO TASER, which used our core TASER technology in the automotive aftermarket, a new marketplace that we had no experience in.Needless to say, this market was completely different than the personal defense marketplace. The promotional programs, economics, selling strategies and distribution channel management—everything was different. We hired a completely new sales force to address the automotive aftermarket. And as a result, we not only found ourselves building redundant infrastructure, but also found that management time was being split between two disparate target markets.As a small company, it is exceedingly difficult to muster the resources needed to run your business successfully. Splitting your efforts into unrelated markets further dilutes your ability to bring resources to bear on any given issue resources that are scarce in the first place. Particularly when you're dealing with personnel who are overstretched, a defocus of effort can be lethal to your business. After 18 grueling months, we found ourselves failing in both markets. As painful as it was, we decided to divest of the AUTO TASER. And, when we couldn't find a buyer, we just shut it down, decisively and quickly. It saved our company, like throwing dead weight overboard. Since that time, we have focused on the law-enforcement market. By focusing our efforts and resources, we managed to salvage the company, attain profitability and execute an initial public offering on the NASDAQ. At the end of the day, a business exists to meet the needs of its customers. Remember that, and focus on your customers, not all the nifty things you think you can do with your technology." |
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TASER International's first flagship product was the AIR TASER Model 34000. It began sales in late 1994 and eventually was sold in numerous catalogs including Sharper Image and also in many Sharper Image stores. Over 100,000 AIR TASER models were sold to private citizens and law enforcement.Overshadowed by the new neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI) technology of the ADVANCED TASER M-series and the later Shaped Pulse technology of the TASER X26, the AIR TASER was no longer the most effective electronic control device available. The AIR TASER 34000 was discontinued by TASER International in 2003.
Who made the first TASER electronic control devices before TASER International, and what was Tasertron?The original TASER system was developed by physicist Jack Cover in the 1970s. Jack was a fighter and bomber pilot during World War II as well as a test pilot at Wright-Patterson Field in Ohio. He later received a PhD from the University of Chicago studying under the famous Fermi, Teller, and Compton. Jack became Director of Science and Engineering for the Space Division of North American Aviation, overseeing 3,000 employees, and worked as the chief scientist for the Apollo Moon Landing program.He first had an interest in the development of a non-lethal weapon in response to a President Lyndon Johnson's 1966 Blue Ribbon Crime Commission chaired by Nicholas Katzenbach. The commission called for the development of non-lethal devices to quell riots that were occurring in the US at that time. Soon thereafter, Jack read a Los Angeles Times article about a man who while hiking became stuck to a fence with a high voltage power line attached to it. This fascinated Jack Cover to discover that electrical current could be pulsed with high voltage with very low current to cause involuntary muscle contractions, thereby freezing someone safely.Jack began his quest to develop his first electronic control device, and in 1970 he developed working models and named them after his favorite childhood character Tom Swift's invention (see TASER origin, above). His company was called TASER Systems. Jack sought out venture capitalists to fund his invention and Advanced Chemical Technology, Inc. (ACT) contracted with Jack to buy his system and fund R&D.
Because this first generation TASER device used gunpowder, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) declared the TASER a Title II firearm and remained mainly unavailable to consumers in 1976 even as a Title I firearm. Jack Cover's first patent was issued on April 9th, 1974, with production beginning in that summer. By 1976, some of the first police agencies to purchase the TASER system were in Nashville and Akron. In 1980, the Los Angeles Police Department purchased 700 units. In 1982, Plant Industries in New Jersey purchased ACT but shed the TASER system side of the production with Jack selling the TASER division to a group of new investors. These investors formed Taser Industries, Inc., which would later close its doors because of skyrocketing insurance premiums. A dissatisfied former shareholder would form a partnership with a recently fired plant manager who then hired back key employees, including Jack Cover, and went into production as EID Lab. In 1992, EIDC Lab reorganized under the name Electronic Medical Research Laboratories, Inc., d.b.a. Tasertron. Tasertron then began doing business under the name Taser Technologies. Tasertron's first product was called the TE-93. The company later made the TE-95 and HP 95. Barnet Resnick, an attorney, was the Tasertron principal and chief executive officer of Taser Technologies. TASER International announced the acquisition of all significant assets owned by Taser Technologies Inc. and Electronic Medical Research Laboratories, d.b.a. Tasertron, on June 30th, 2003. Upon completion of this transaction, Tasertron ceased as a manufacturer and supplier of electronic control devices, including TASER brand-related technologies. |