Why is a wire necessary for tasers to deliver an electrical shock to the target?

[Tio Barnabe]

Why does a wire is needed for carrying the electrical current down the target in tasers?

Perhaps without the wire the elecrical current needs to be much more strong?

Why don't construct some kind of wireless taser that uses ultra-super-strong-electromagnetic pulse (which would make it as efficient as a conventional taser)?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Why does a wire is needed for carrying out the electrical current down the target in tasers?

Why is a wire needed to carry current in your house? Or anywhere?

 

[Tio Barnabe]

Why is a wire needed to carry current in your house? Or anywhere?

Because (in the case you mentioned) electric current consists of so called free electrons that make up the wire.

I wanted to ask if there is a way of constructing a taser so strong that the electrons are pulled into the air on their way to the target, i.e. a lightning like taser.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I;m sorry, I thought you wanted to learn about how real circuits work. Carry on.

 

[Drakkith]

In order to efficiently conduct an electrical current, the air would need to be ionized. In order to ionize the air, a VERY strong electric field is needed. Generating such a strong electric field over several feet is very difficult to do with a hand-held, battery operated device. In addition, this field would create ionization paths in randomly generated directions, much like how lightning is formed. This ionized path of plasma would easily conduct current, but the current would need to be high enough to keep the ionization path intact for the duration of the shock. The amount of current would be far more lethal than current tasers are. It would be impossible to control, almost impossible to generate, and entirely useless as a less-lethal device.

 

[CWatters]

Not to mention a hazard to the taser operator !

 

[jbriggs444]

Why does a wire is needed for carrying the electrical current down the target in tasers?

You do realize that it takes two wires, right? The current does not return through the ground, the operators shoes and his unwitting body.

 

[Tio Barnabe]

You do realize that it takes two wires, right? The current does not return through the ground, the operators shoes and his unwitting body.

Oh, yes. It should be a closed circuit taser-target-taser.