In the tactic games the persuadertron is used to gather people and even "recruit" enemy agents. Used correctly, itīs very powerful, especially since you got it right from the start.
Yeah, it sounds interesting. It probably got cut because they gave the player the "Persuade" breaching tool. In coop, enemies usually drop like flies so it wouldn't have worked as well, I guess.
Is this an energy weapon of some kind? It looks very intriguing. Perhaps it fires some sort of ray that interferes with the firing of the nervous system, causing excruciating pain, disorientation, and paralysis? That would be an effective method of persuasion...