Scientists worry about Pentagon’s new ray gun

Originally Posted by darkboong

It is operating way beyond Microwaves tbh. Gamma rays are way up beyond Microwaves, and quite frankly they are a PITA to block.

Originally Posted by MountainPro

PITA?...sorry bud, i dont know what that means..

Originally Posted by MountainPro

most Electromagnetic waves can be easily grounded using a Faraday cage regardless of thier frequency.

Originally Posted by Hypnospin

so the approval for this kinda thing in your neighborhood is granted by you?
or just for the grateful liberated iraqis we are trying to give a taste of
good 'ol usa flag wavin' cajun style freedom via crowd control?


now, THAT should "win hearts minds", as is the stated us mission...


as for the absurdity of your presenting this as a "non-goverment" industry,
who is paying for us military weaponry again?

the taxpayer, wasn't it?

truly demoracy in action.
nevermind these deals always go to the high bidder friends and family of the bush regime as only the criminal bush league raqueteers would have it...

but don't worry, the taxpayer contribution from louisiana is low due to the high unemployment and low per capita income so others can foot the bill for you.
as long as it keeps your relatives and kids in line.

might even lower your crime rate, as louisiana has one of the highest percentages of it's population in prison.

maybe improve your academic scores, too.

or decrease the high infant mortality in your state.

with attention to crowd control in place, you truly should start to
"turn the corner"
with crowd control sponsored by your continued support of the goverment
that has done so much for you lately.

Originally Posted by darkboong

Pain in the Ass.



NOTE: You said Most.

Gamma rays (for example) are not so easily stopped. The spectrum that we use day to day is a relatively small chunk of what has been observed and studied. Apparently there are some weird propogation modes too that break Faraday cages. Furthermore, coming up with a workable Faraday cage for short wavelengths is none-trivial, and unlikely to be woven into fabric.

IIRC we're talking about 95GHz here, which is a *very* short wavelength.

Originally Posted by davidmc

Updated: 1:10 p.m. ET July 20, 2005

LONDON - Scientists are questioning the safety of a "Star Wars"-style ray gun due to be deployed in Iraq for riot control next year.

The Active Denial System weapon, classified as “less lethal” by the Pentagon, fires a 95-gigahertz microwave beam at rioters to cause heating and intolerable pain in less than five seconds.

The idea is that people caught in the beam will rapidly try to move out of it and therefore break up the crowd.

But New Scientist magazine reported Wednesday that during tests carried out at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, participants playing the part of rioters were told to remove glasses and contact lenses to protect their eyes.

In another test, they were also told to remove metal objects like coins from their clothing to avoid local hot spots developing on their skin.

“What happens if someone in a crowd is unable for whatever reason to move away from the beam,” asked Neil Davison, coordinator of the non-lethal weapons research project at Britain’s Bradford University. “How do you ensure that the dose doesn’t cross the threshold for permanent damage? Does the weapon cut out to prevent overexposure?”

The magazine said a vehicle-mounted version of the weapon named Sheriff was scheduled for service in Iraq in 2006, and that U.S. Marines and police were both working on portable versions.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8644374/