Following her weekly yoga class, a young woman exits the gym. The sky is dark, the parking lot only illuminated by the dim glow of a few streetlamps. The woman glances around, zips up her stylish jacket, and makes her way to her car. Unseen by her, an attacker lurks in the shadows. He discreetly follows her to her car, watching her every move. The woman, sensing something, looks over her shoulder cautiously. Suddenly, the man attacks! He grabs the woman around the shoulders, his elbow tight around her neck. She struggles, but he’s quickly cutting off her air supply. The young woman inserts a strange-looking key into her sleeve, pushing down frantically on a hidden button in her jacket. The attacker is zapped with 80,000 volts of electricity! He falls to the ground, disoriented, as the woman makes her escape. She quickly calls the police, and the disabled attacker is apprehended.
Being the victim of an attack is every woman’s worst nightmare. The market for certain self defense products, such as pepper spray and tasers, is designed to give some people the edge in a defensive situation. An electric jacket that zaps an attacker sounds similar to something out of a James Bond movie. However, this product is real, and currently being tested by a company named “No-Contact LLC”.
How Does it Work?
The “No-Contact Jacket” (which is currently only available for women) is powered by a simple 9-volt battery. Underneath the surface of the jacket’s material is a network of wires, which emit an electrical charge when it is activated. However, there are safety measures that are designed to prevent an accidental discharge. In order for the jacket to be “armed”, a woman needs to insert a special key into a slot in the sleeve of the jacket. Once the jacket is armed, it can be “charged” by pressing a button located inside the sleeve of the jacket.
Is the Jacket Effective for Self Defense?
Since the No Contact Jacket has gotten a fair amount of media attention (even being voted one of the greatest inventions of the year 2003 by Time Magazine), a lot of people have questioned its effectiveness. Here are a few videos demonstrating how the jacket works, and what kind of defense it provides.
Information about the No Contact Jacket (by the creators)
This video gives a bit of background information about how the jacket was created, as well as the reason why the creators decided to put the charge button inside the sleeve.
Demonstration of the No Contact Jacket
This quick demonstration is of the effects of the jacket on a one and two-handed grab attack. Though it doesn’t seem to fully disable the attacker, it does seem to be a deterrent.
Close-Up View of Arcing Electrical Current
This video is simply a close-up of the part of the jacket where the arcing electrical current is displayed.
Coverage of the Jacket by KBTV
This video segment is from a program that covers self defense products for women.
