Katherine Mangu-Ward on the Handcuffs of the Future

Ever wondered why handcuff technology hasn't progressed much in the last 50 years? Wonder no more: In late November, the website Patent Bolt noticed an application filed by a company called Scottsdale Inventions for an "Apparatus and System For Augmented Detainee Restraint."

As Katherine Mangu-Ward reports, this handy new device can be "configured to administer electrical shocks when certain predetermined conditions occur" as well as being activated by remote control. The patent application compares this function to the workings of a stun gun or Taser.