Cutting to the chase [microwave car stopper]

This article presents a microwave device that could spell the end of hair-raising car chases. A prototype has been commissioned by law enforcement agencies and police forces in the United States and Britain have ordered tests of the new system. This car zapper is designed to fit in the trunk of a police car with a directive antenna mounted on the roof. At the touch of a button, a police officer can direct a jolt of microwave energy at a speeding car. The electromagnetic impulse induces high transient currents in the wires leading to the microprocessor of the suspect's car and disables the ignition.