Non-Lethal Weapons Currently in Use or Development
September 24 2008 / by John Heylin
Category: Technology Year: General Rating: 2
Here are some nifty gadgets people are working on in order to limit casualties in war and even at home. Check out my article on how these devices are killing the art of protesting here. 
The StunRay™: Coming in a hand held device (range about 100 meters) or vehicle/ship mounted (range about 500 meters), this device delivers a blinding light that incapacitates a person anywhere from five seconds to three minutes. “Application of the 2-second or less stun beam causes a photo-chemical reaction resulting in temporary loss of sight and neural signal overload of the optic nerves.” The best thing about it? Full recovery takes 15-20 minutes, it only requires a battery, and it allows someone to use it from a great distance, keeping them from the threat.
The Dazzler: Another light weapon, it was used in the British and Argentinian war over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas for you Argentinians, sorry you lost) against low-level flying aircraft. The devices temporarily blind and disorient those targeted. Although hated by many advocacy groups due to it’s potential to cause permanent damage, they have even been issued in Iraq to soldiers at checkpoints in order to find a less lethal way of stopping cars that fail to follow directions.
The Vortex Ring Gun: Basically, an explosion is made in a barrel which accelerates air through the barrel towards whatever you’re pointing it at (kinda like in kung-fu movies where a guy stops his punch a few inches from the victim but the air from his fist still knocks the victim down). “The weapon has demonstrated its capability to knock-down a 75kg man-sized mannequin from a distance of 10 meters.” This allows people to get mowed down by air (a modern day fire hose?). And while injuries will probably occur, it’s still fairly non-lethal.
Long Range Acoustic Device: Developed by NORUS Crisis Assessment and Intervention (NORUSCAI) in the UK, you may have heard them in the news a few years back when the ship Seabourn Spirit beat off Somali pirates with their own LRAD. “After dragging his injured colleague Som Bahadur Gurung to safety, he saw off the heavily armed mercenaries by hitting them with a hi-tech sonic cannon.” The device has the ability to rupture ear drums of those it’s directed at. If it can beat away pirates, that is one tough machine.
MEDUSA: If blowing out eardrums isn’t your thing, this device bypasses the ears with a microwave pulses which creates a sound directly in your skull. “The pulses create a shockwave inside the skull that’s detected by the ears, and basically makes you think you’re going balls-to-the-wall batshit insane.” Earplugs won’t help, this thing will get into your head no matter what and bring you to your knees.
Active Denial System: Commonly called the Pain Ray, this device uses microwaves to “bake” the target. “The waves excite water molecules in the epidermis to around 130 °F (55 °C), causing an intensely painful sensation of extreme heat.” But it has the added benefit of not actually burning the skin, feeling more like a “light bulb being pressed against the skin.” If a pain ray isn’t a big enough hint for someone to clear out the area, I don’t know what is.
Shock Rounds: Ammunition that, instead of tearing through your body, gives you a high enough electrical shock that can incapacitate just about any human threat. “The electrical shock is generated by the impact energy, which excites a piezoelectric crystal to deliver a shock of up to 175 joules (x6 more than conventional electric fences).” Think of it as a rubber bullet mixed with a really powerful Taser.
Electrified Water Cannon: There has been a lot of speculation on alternatives to the Taser. The idea of water conducting electricity to intended victims isn’t too far-fetched. It allows for single-person attacking with focused streams, as well as crowd control electrocutions with a high-capacity hose. While this product has been put on the shelf as far as development, it still offers us an interesting view into interesting crowd control techniques.
Sticky Foam: Instead of battling with people, why not glue them in place? Freezing people instead of having to deal with them has some advantages, but the disadvantages are numerous. “One of the big problems is that having slimed a rioter, you can’t arrest them or take them away.” On top of that, their chances of suffocation are pretty likely if they get the stuff in their faces. If they can develop a foam that could dissolve at a semi-quick rate, consider protesting finished.
Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons
Comment Thread (2 Responses)
-
This might not be a high-tech, ultra-deterrent, but the Israelis came out with a skunk bomb to stop people from getting uppity. It’s sort of low-tech but highly effective.
http://gizmodo.com/5052835/israel-deploys-crowd-control-skunk-bomb-for-the-first-time
Posted by: Covus September 25, 2008
Vote for this comment - Recommend -
Man, let’s hope they don’t end up using that gay bomb on civilians!
Posted by: martymcfly September 29, 2008
Vote for this comment - Recommend