Taser: A Sci-Fi Hero's LegacyA controversial weapon has surprisingly innocent origins.

From the show

The Secret Life of Objects

The Taser was developed by a NASA physicist as a non-lethal alternative to firearms. But the story behind its name reveals a surprising connection to the world of childhood imagination. The acronym T.A.S.E.R. stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle,” a tribute to the inventor’s favorite young adult sci-fi novel from 1911. This story explores the strange link between a painful law enforcement tool and an inventor’s nostalgic, life-saving intentions.