During my research on “Defeating the Taser in Combat”, I saw several references to a new Taser-proof material called “ThorShield”. I found numerous articles about the product, but they were very short and lacked any details. After posting my article “ThorShield Can Make You Taser Proof”, I contacted the company that developed ThorShield and I was able to conduct an interview with the inventor, Greg Schultz.
I hope you find the interview informative.
Can you tell us a little bit about the inventor of ThorShield?
ThorShield Generation I was invented by Greg Schultz of Marana, Arizona. Greg Schultz has a back ground in lightning detection / prediction systems. Greg Schultz spent 4 years in US Army Military Intelligence and 4 years in the Arizona Army National Guard. He has over 15 years in information technology, working with embedded systems as well as traditional application programming and networking. The combination of disciplines gives Greg a good understanding of how to apply technology in a tactical environment.
Greg Williams and Greg Schultz have collaborated to build on the success of Generation I ThorShield to create the Generation III fabric you see fielded today. Greg Williams has an extensive background in computer science and business.
Can you tell us about your company, G2 Consulting?
G2 Consulting was formed to fill the needs of the military and law enforcement professionals. Our company has a very diverse skill set which we leverage to solve problems for our customers. ThorShield is an excellent example. While there are many great protective garments on the market none provided protection from electroshock weapons.
What motivated you to develop this product?
Forgive the pun but we were shocked that Officers where carrying a weapon that they had no defense against. We had read stories about Officers being attacked with stun guns and in some cases their own Taser. The challenge was to create a cost effective protective material that was ultra light weight and durable. In Generation III we feel we have solidly met those goals. Click the link for a newspaper account of an officer being attacked with his own TASER.
How did you come up with the idea for this product?
With my background in lightning (Greg Schultz), I found the Taser product very interesting. It also peaked my interest in how you could protect a person from a Taser? Rather than try to insulate the person from the attack, I took the tactic of providing a more conductive material than the human body to “short circuit” the weapon.
How did you come up with the name “ThorShield”?
ThorShield comes from the Norse god of Thunder and lightning. I figured if anyone had a good shield against “lightning” it would be Thor himself.
What kind of tests did you conduct during the developmental process?
Throughout the development process when we had a new material to test, we would conduct human shock testing, along with long term wear and tear testing which included repeated washes and dry cleanings. We went into production with Generation III after it proved to be transparent to the end user, comfortable to wear, ultra light weight and very durable, capable of withstanding numerous hits from stun weapons. Prior to the release of Generation III, we had American Systems of Chantilly Virginia conduct independent testing of our material.
How effective is the product at disrupting the incapacitating effects of the Taser?
We have found that body armor lined with ThorShield is extremely effective in remediation of the Taser effects. We have never had a user feel any effect of the Taser when both probes strike ThorShield. Even when wet, ThorShield has proven to be effective.
What happens if one of the Taser probes hits the ThorShield fabric and the other probe hits the wearer in an unprotected body part?
Our testing has shown that you feel a reduced effect but you still feel an effect. Since everyone has a different pain tolerance we cannot say a person would not be incapacitated. Our company is working on ways to reduce this effect even further. Our official stance is you may still be incapacitated if you have one probe on the vest and one probe off.
Does ThorShield provide protection against Drive Stuns?
Absolutely. ThorShield completely protects you from drive stuns.
What are the limitations of ThorShield?
As you pointed out above, ThorShield has limited protective qualities with one probe on our material and one probe off. Other than that scenario, ThorShield is very effective in protecting officers from a Taser strike. Please let your readers know that ThorShield WILL NOT protect you from any threats other than less lethal electroshock stun weapons. DO NOT grab electrical wires with ThorShield, it WILL NOT protect you.
I read that you have entered an exclusive agreement with Point Blank, what other plans do you have for your product?
Our plan is to come out with a line of tactical gloves this summer and expand into under armor and uniforms by end of the calendar year.
What is the first product that officers will be able to buy and when will it be available?
ThorShield enabled body armor is currently available from Point Blank and PACA body armor.
Do you have any plans for making ThorShield available to the general public?
Absolutely NOT! ThorShield is ONLY available to military and law enforcement. Anyone who violates our patents and attempts to sell any knock offs to the general public will be pursued in court. Taser’s are a great product that help officers avoid injury and we will never do anything to diminish the value of that tool.
Have you received any negative responses from the law enforcement community about the possibility of criminals getting access to your product?
Yes, we have until we explain to them that we only partner with responsible distributors and that we will pursue legal actions against anyone that sells our material outside the terms of our agreements. No sales to the public ever. Our company is committed to Officer Safety.
What other products are you currently working on that we can look forward to?
We are currently working on; 1. IP (internet controlled) force multiplier systems (I wish I could go into more details but we can’t let the cat out of the bag too soon. After we get the patents filed we can give you more information). 2. New safe weapon technology. 3. New concealment fabrics for military. 4. New shielding materials for the military. Those are the top 4.
Please share anything else you would like our readers to know about your company.
In closing, I would like to say that our company loves to work closely with the end user to build solutions that work. No matter what the problem, we can help!
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