Transforming rays into weapons

[Robb]

Raytheon develops nonlethal directed-energy gun

Stopping an adversary in his boots with a nonlethal ray gun is no longer just a sci-fi pipe dream, according to a local defense contract official.

Nonlethal directed-energy scientists have tested a weapon that does just that, only on a slightly larger scale than a handgun, said Wade W. Smith, deputy of Raytheon Missile Systems' Directed Energy Weapons division.

(snip)

Traveling at the speed of light, the energy penetrates less than 1/64 of an inch into the skin quickly heating up the skin's surface, according to the Department of Defense. The pain is nearly identical to that experienced when briefly touching a hot light bulb, but it leaves no burn mark or permanent damage.

(snip)

Although the ADT system is described as having a range of 700 yards, it is intended to protect military personnel against small-arms fire, which generally means a range of 1,000 meters. It also can be used for crowd control.

(more)

(on edit) Fixed link.

[Occulus]

1. Your link is redirecting me,

does it work for anyone else?

[Desertrose]

2. no luck here either

Tucson paper..??

[Judi Lynn]

4. I think this is the same link:

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=business&story_id=040804d1_rtnweapons

[whatelseisnew]

3. Is this the microwave device?

[Dead_Parrot]

5. Oh, great.

Another toy for Homelands security's room 101...

[gbwarming]

6. More technical details (This is pretty ancient news )

http://www.de.afrl.af.mil/factsheets/activedenial.html (March '01)

http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Sept01/DE0101.html
Active Denial Technology is a breakthrough non-lethal technology that uses millimeter-wave electromagnetic energy to stop, deter, and turn back an advancing adversary from relatively long range.
AFRL's Directed Energy Directorate, High Power Microwave Division, Applications Branch, Kirtland AFB NM
AFRL scientists and sponsors from the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) announced the existence of a revolutionary non-lethal directed energy technology called Active Denial Technology (ADT) at a Pentagon press conference in March 2001. The Marine Times said that ADT was potentially the biggest breakthrough in weapons technology since the atom bomb.

ADT enables a new class of weaponry using directed energy. This technology uses a beam of millimeter waves to heat an adversary's skin, causing intense pain without damage. This makes the adversary flee.

AFRL began research into non-lethal weapons in the mid-1980s. This research resulted in the building and testing of a low power repel demonstrator funded by the Air Force. Congress directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a joint organization to develop non-lethal technology and capabilities in 1996. The Marine Corps is the executive agent for the DoD. The JNLW program funded AFRL to produce two vehicle-mounted repel demonstrators based on previous research.
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[sam sarrha]

7. that would make a great hand grenade to throw into a place lilke a place

where hostages or a place where terrorists are hiding and fighting like a Mosque that is a very sensitive siruation and you dont want to create an international relilgious uprising LIKE WE DO ALL THE TIME IN ARAQ ! it could self distruct to prevent to prevent capture if the item.. but it probably wont be long anyway befor the terrorists are BBQing us with it like they did those four security people in Iraq...thet event showed exactly who we are dealing with.. and they were probably Iranians and Saudi's.

[shanti]

8. i wonder what would happen

if this weapon was aimed at the eyes....

[Dogmudgeon]

9. Dumb, dumb, dumb

The technology looks pretty simple for most "hardware hackers".

This means it will only proliferate.

On the other hand, the much-fabled brain wave scrambler from the 1950s was eventually marketed as a relaxation machine in the 1980s. And they thought LSD was a "punishment drug", too.

--bkl