Technology on the Battlefield: Cook Your Enemies
I wonder if it can pop popcorn too...
Tuesday, December 5, 2006 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
It's no real secret that war and conflict is perhaps one of the biggest driving influences on the development of new technology. Modern computers and the Internet were inventions brought about to deal with war situations. It seems the latest advance in wartime technology is a non-lethal weapon that basically cooks the target like a TV dinner in a microwave oven.
Declared ready for deployment in Iraq, the Air Force has developed a weapon it's calling the Active Denial System. The ADS shoots a beam of millimeter waves, waves that are in between x-rays and microwaves found in a standard microwave oven. The effect is a very rapid warming of the skin, causing rapidly mounting pain for the target. Studies conducted by the Air Force show that most subjects could withstand 3 seconds on average, and none lasted more than 5 before fleeing the beam.
The ADS is meant to be a crowd-control device, to clear riots and secure zones of combat. Current prototypes are mounted on Hummers and have a 2-meter diameter with a range of 500 yards, making it the furthest-reaching and one of the overall safest non-lethal weapons in use.
Just a few years ago, "microwave guns" were exclusively the domain of science fiction, now they're a reality and coming to a warzone near you!
Reply #2 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 3:48 PM
I liked the quote: "Wouldn't it be deliciously ironic if a tinfoil hat protected you from this??"
Seriously, can you see this in police cars not too long from now?!
My kids coming home with roasted eyeballs?! I dunno...
Good controversy value on this thread.
Also, somewhat related to (skin) skinning.
Reply #3 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 4:21 PM
The amount and type of radiation from ADS supposedly is not enough to cause cancer or permenant harm. The objective of the weapon is to cause people to flee from the path of the beam, to disrupt rioters etc. Short of being tied-down and subjected to the beam, prolonged exposure is highly unlikely.
The strength of the beam means it mostly is absorbed by the skin and does not penetrate further (hence the extreme pain from heat). As to eyeballs, they ran tests on monkeys and they found that damage to the eyeball was extremely hard to obtain since even when unconscious, subjects would blink or twitch their head away from the beam before damage could occur. When they forced damage, the eye recovered fully within 24hrs.
Reply #4 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 4:29 PM
...but I want one!
Reply #6 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 5:33 PM
Reply #7 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 5:52 PM
Reply #8 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 6:09 PM
I want one too!!!!!!!!!
Speedy
Reply #10 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 9:17 PM
Reply #11 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 10:19 PM
Reply #12 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 10:40 PM
-hey you stupid kids get offa my lawn ZAP!
Reply #13 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 11:05 PM
Reply #15 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 1:05 AM
Reply #16 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 8:53 AM
I do have to point out though that "between x-rays and microwaves" (from the article and the post above) includes everything from far infrared through the visible spectrum to far ultraviolet. What I think they meant to say was between microwaves and far infrared, though that's not exactly correct either. The 100Ghz/3mm band is well into the microwave part of the spectrum (which runs from about 3Ghz to 300Ghz).
Reply #17 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 9:09 AM
| he 100Ghz/3mm band is well into the microwave part of the spectrum (which runs from about 3Ghz to 300Ghz). |
The stuff you learn here!
Reply #18 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 9:23 AM
| (which runs from about 3Ghz to 300Ghz). |
Pretty safe to say even your dog won't hear it....
Reply #19 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:02 AM
Priceless!
Still laughing at that one...
Reply #20 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 8:04 PM
the kernels will absorb the energy before it gets to your skin.
The downside is you will be lynched by the mob that the gun was intended to disperse and you will likely be eaten alive...
or you could cover yourself with some kind of skin tanning accelerator and look like a bahama mama within a few seconds of exposure to the microwave weapon
- also wondering how well the auto defrost feature on this weapon works....
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Reply #1 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 3:41 PM