Well, a handgun is better than nothing, but I'd like to see how you defend yourself against this:
Run away the ray-gun is coming : We test US army's new secret weapon
By MICHAEL HANLON
Modern face of warfare: The Silent Guardian
"Where do I put my finger? There ... OK? Nothing's happening ... is it on?"
"Yes, it's on. Move your finger a bit closer."
"Er ... ow! OW!" Not good. I try again. "OWWW!" I pull my hand away sharpish. My finger is throbbing, but seems undamaged.
I was told people can take it for a second, maximum. No way, not for a wimp like me.
I try it again. It is a bit like touching a red-hot wire, but there is no heat, only the sensation of heat. There is no burn mark or blister.
Its makers claim this infernal machine is the modern face of warfare. It has a nice, friendly sounding name, Silent Guardian.
I am told not to call it a ray-gun, though that is precisely what it is (the term "pain gun" is maybe better, but I suppose they would like that even less).
And, to be fair, the machine is not designed to vaporise, shred, atomise, dismember or otherwise cause permanent harm.
Oww! Michael Hanlon tries the Raytheon ray-gun
But it is a horrible device nonetheless, and you are forced to wonder what the world has come to when human ingenuity is pressed into service to make a thing like this.
Silent Guardian is making waves in defence circles. Built by the U.S. firm Raytheon, it is part of its "Directed Energy Solutions" programme.
What it amounts to is a way of making people run away, very fast, without killing or even permanently harming them.
That is what the company says, anyway. The reality may turn out to be more horrific.
I tested a table-top demonstration model, but here's how it works in the field.
A square transmitter as big as a plasma TV screen is mounted on the back of a Jeep.
When turned on, it emits an invisible, focused beam of radiation - similar to the microwaves in a domestic cooker - that are tuned to a precise frequency to stimulate human nerve endings.
It can throw a wave of agony nearly half a mile.
Because the beam penetrates skin only to a depth of 1/64th of an inch, it cannot, says Raytheon, cause visible, permanent injury.
But anyone in the beam's path will feel, over their entire body, the agonising sensation I've just felt on my fingertip. The prospect doesn't bear thinking about.
"I have been in front of the full-sized system and, believe me, you just run. You don't have time to think about it - you just run," says George Svitak, a Raytheon executive.
Silent Guardian is supposed to be the 21st century equivalent of tear gas or water cannon - a way of getting crowds to disperse quickly and with minimum harm. Its potential is obvious.
"In Iraq, there was a situation when combatants had taken media as human shields. The battalion commander told me there was no way of separating combatants from non-combatants without lethal force," Mr Svitak tells me.
He says this weapon would have made it possible because everyone, friend or foe, would have run from it.
In tests, even the most hardened Marines flee after a few seconds of exposure. It just isn't possible to tough it out.
This machine has the ability to inflict limitless, unbearable pain.
What makes it OK, says Raytheon, is that the pain stops as soon as you are out of the beam or the machine is turned off.
But my right finger was tingling hours later - was that psychosomatic?
So what is the problem? All right, it hurts, but then so do tear gas and water cannon and they have been used by the world's police and military for decades.
Am I being squeamish?
One thing is certain: not just the Silent Guardian, but weapons such as the Taser, the electric stun-gun, are being rolled out by Britain's police forces as the new way of controlling people by using pain.
And, as the Raytheon chaps all insist, you always have the option to get out of the way (just as you have the option to comply with the police officer's demands and not get Tasered).
But there is a problem: mission creep. This is the Americanism which describes what happens when, over time, powers or techniques are used to ends not stated or even imagined when they were devised.
With the Taser, the rules in place in Britain say it must be used only as an alternative to the gun. But what happens in ten or 20 years if a new government chooses to amend these rules?
It is so easy to see the Taser being used routinely to control dissent and pacify - as, indeed, already happens in the U.S.
And the Silent Guardian? Raytheon's Mac Jeffery says it is being looked at only by the "North American military and its allies" and is not being sold to countries with questionable human rights records.
An MoD spokesman said Britain is not planning to buy this weapon.
In fact, it is easy to see the raygun being used not as an alternative to lethal force (when I can see that it is quite justified), but as an extra weapon in the battle against dissent.
Because it is, in essence, a simple machine, it is easy to see similar devices being pressed into service in places with extremely dubious reputations.
There are more questions: in tests, volunteers have been asked to remove spectacles and contact lenses before being microwaved. Does this imply these rays are not as harmless as Raytheon insists?
What happens when someone with a weak heart is zapped?
And, perhaps most worryingly, what if deployment of Silent Guardian causes mass panic, leaving some people unable to flee in the melee? Will they just be stuck there roasting?
Raytheon insists the system is set up to limit exposure, but presumably these safeguards can be over-ridden.
Silent Guardian and the Taser are just the first in a new wave of "non-lethal" weaponry being developed, mostly in the U.S.
These include not only microwave ray-guns, but the terrifying Pulsed Energy Projectile weapon. This uses a powerful laser which, when it hits someone up to 11/2 miles away, produces a "plasma" - a bubble of superhot gas - on the skin.
A report in New Scientist claimed the focus of research was to heighten the pain caused by this semi-classified weapon.
And a document released under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act talks of "optimal pulse parameters to evoke peak nociceptor activation" - i.e. cause the maximum agony possible, leaving no permanent damage.
Perhaps the most alarming prospect is that such machines would make efficient torture instruments.
They are quick, clean, cheap, easy to use and, most importantly, leave no marks. What would happen if they fell into the hands of unscrupulous nations where torture is not unknown?
The agony the Raytheon gun inflicts is probably equal to anything in a torture chamber - these waves are tuned to a frequency exactly designed to stimulate the pain nerves.
I couldn't hold my finger next to the device for more than a fraction of a second. I could make the pain stop, but what if my finger had been strapped to the machine?
Dr John Wood, a biologist at UCL and an expert in the way the brain perceives pain, is horrified by the new pain weapons.
"They are so obviously useful as torture instruments," he says.
"It is ethically dubious to say they are useful for crowd control when they will obviously be used by unscrupulous people for torture."
We use the word "medieval" as shorthand for brutality. The truth is that new technology makes racks look benign.
Or this:
Deadly Silence by Fergus Day
What if there was a weapon whose effects you couldn't see or hear, but could kill you from a distance of hundreds of metres? Fergus Day assesses the disturbing potential of "Infrasound".
Picture the scenario. You're walking through a busy city street when a disturbance breaks out. Suddenly, you're engulfed by a mass of heaving bodies. You struggle to escape, but find you're blocked at every turn. Amid the chaos, you hear the sound of approaching police sirens. When the officers arrive, however, they are not carrying the usual riot shields and batons; they have only what looks like large speakers, held out at arms length.
Suddenly, you feel as, if you cannot breathe; your head is pounding as you stumble to your knees. Overcome by nausea, you try to get up, but are engulfed by a feeling of intense anxiety, and cannot move. As you lie there, vomiting uncontrollably, those around you are dropping like flies. In the end, the entire crowd is writhing in agony as the police wade in to make arrests.
In the aftermath of your ordeal, you recover completely, but one question remains; what caused the physical effects you experienced? You were not hit by a rubber bullet, you saw no tear gas or other noxious substance in the air. So why did so many people fall to the floor as if overtaken by some crippling disease? The answer is simple. You and those around you had fallen victim to a new and terrifying weapon - "Infrasound".
For decades, police forces and military authorities throughout the world have been increasingly keen to find methods of containing civil unrest without the risks to their own officers that are associated with current methods of riot control. And, according to a number of researchers, in infrasound, military, scientists may now have found the ideal solution to this problem. But what exactly is infrasound and how is it capable of inducing such profound physical effects?
Infrasound is a powerful, ultra-low frequency acoustic wave. All the sound that we hear from the lowest bass to the highest treble, is between 16 and 20,000 Hertz, or cycles per second. Sound waves above or below these levels cannot be heard by the human car. Because infrasound is, by definition, sound waves of a level below 16 Hertz, it bypasses our cars but can be felt by our bodies in the form of pure vibrations. And it is these vibrations, dependent upon their intensity, that some researchers say can induce a range of symptoms, from nausea, headaches and vomiting, to the rupturing of internal organs and even death.
But infrasound is no new invention. In nature, it is produced by powerful and destructive events, such as earthquakes, thunder and erupting volcanoes. The sound waves can travel many kilometres and are not blocked by stone, buildings or other sounds. Infrasound also features strongly in the technology that dominates urban life in towns and cities. Rapidly moving objects, such as car engines, fans and air conditioners are responsible for low levels of infrasound that surround us on a daily basis.
The fact that certain sound frequencies have definite effects on the human body has long been acknowledged by science. But while ultrasound (frequencies above 20,000 Hertz) has been openly harnessed by science to such mundane ends as repelling vermin or dislodging tartar from dentures, the study and application of infrasound has been far more secretive.
Although infrasound research dates back as far as World War I, studies of its effects on human beings did not begin until the early 1960s. At this time, NASA sponsored studies into the potential effects on astronauts of infrasound produced by spacecraft at launchtime. At the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, subjects were placed in pressure chambers and subjected to infrasound. Among the resulting effects were 'chest wall vibrations, gag sensations, and respiratory rhythm changes'.
Just a few years later, in 1965, the sinister potential of infrasound was fully, uncovered. From extensive studies, Vladimir Gavreau, a scientist front the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Marseilles, found that a variety of physical effects were produced when human beings were exposed to ultra-low sound frequencies. He experimented with a series of tubes arid organ pipes that produced notes of about 7 Hertz, and found that, by extending the tubes, the sound waves could be directed with some precision.
In producing these devices, Gavreau had, in effect, invented 'acoustic lasers'. These narrow beams of infrasound could apparently be aimed accurately, producing nausea, disorientation and headaches in those at whom they were directed. When the infrasound levels were intensified, test subjects also reported feelings of fright, panic and blurred vision.
Gavreau believed that a powerful enough infrasound device could knock down walls, break windows and kill everyone within an 8-km radius. The device would riot be difficult to make, he argued, yet would have a devastating effect. Some researchers have even claimed that, during the late 1960s, the French military became interested in Gavreau's research and used his findings In the development of a growing list of 'secret weapons'.
Despite Gavreau's claims, however, many believe that the development of lethal infrasound weapons is highly impractical. Although relatively easy to build, such weapons would have to be extremely large and powerful to kill outright. Nevertheless, research into non-lethal infrasound weapons has continued unabated. The potential of such weapons to break down resistance to interrogation, to induce stress, confusion and disorientation in an enemy has made them particularly appealing to military scientists.
If infrasound frequencies could be directed extremely accurately, as reportedly achieved by, Gavreau, an individual or a group could suddenly faint, vomit, or suffer an epileptic fit, while those nearby would be unaffected. Such devices could also be small and easily carried in an armoured vehicle.
To many, evidence that such weapons have been under development for decades is provided by a United Nations draft agreement, drawn up in 1976, that prohibited the development of new weapons of mass destruction. Even at that time, infrasound was deemed deserving of special monitoring, owing to the fact that the progress made in the area of acoustics had made infrasonic weapons a viable and attractive possibility.
Despite such regulations, many researchers believe that infrasound weapons have already been used on an unsuspecting public. It is claimed, for example, that during the 1970s, the UK army tested infrasound devices in incidents of rioting and civil unrest in Northern Ireland. And, with ever-increasing levels of investment in nonlethal technology, it would seem that such incidents can only become more common.
Today, infrasonic devices are among a growing list of 'non-lethal' weapons - including stun guns, electromagnetic mindcontrol devices, and chemical irritants - that are readily available. Indeed, a number of infrasound technologies are currently registered with the US Patents Office. These include noise generators and transmitters, consciousness-altering machines and nervous system excitation devices the list is growing [longer] all the time.
In1995, $41 minion was spent on non-lethal weaponry in the US and there is growing interest in the technology. Many US Police forces, concerned with the control of civil unrest, believe that infrasound has all advantage over tear gas as it can be controlled much more easily The effectiveness of infrasound has even received the backing of the Pentagon, who, in a recent document claimed that high-power infrasound could leave all enemy 'incapacitated by nausea'.
New advances in infrasound weaponry suggest that military scientists are becoming more and more adept at harnessing ultra-low frequencies. A device currently under development is said to combine an infrasound device with a strobe light, and is capable of inducing extreme epileptic fits and complete sensory disorientation.
Yet despite all the evidence, military authorities continue to deny any involvement with infrasound, and the actual nature of research remains shrouded in secrecy. Some have even claimed that the alleged properties of infrasound are far from proven. Recently, German physicist Jurgen Altmann claimed that, having studied the properties of infrasound, he found no evidence that it has any of the adverse effects reported.
This view has been echoed by; Lieutenant Colonel Martin N. Stanton of the US Army, who apparently found infrasound weapons of little use while based in war-torn Somalia as part of the US peacekeeping force. Stanton questions the effectiveness of such weapons, claiming that riot-control troops are just as susceptible to the effects of infrasound weapons as rioters.
Nevertheless, such scepticism does not appear to have affected those engaged in the production of infrasound weapons. In 1999, Maxwell Technologies of San Diego applied to patent a new potentially lethal infrasound weapon. The device, designed to control hostile crowds or disable hostage takers, is said to work across a wide range of frequencies and is highly directional. The company says it is capable of affecting people up to 100 metres away and can allegedly cause eardrum rupture at 185 decibels (dB), pulmonary (lung) injury at 200dB and death at 220dB.
These and other developments suggest that infrasound weapons are far from a pipedream. With the need to control an ever-growing population, it seems likely that, even if it hasn't been used already, the potential power of infrasound will be utilized in some form or other in the future. And with more devices being patented all the time that may be sooner than we think.
A Containment of civil unrest currently relies on traditional weapons, such as tear gas, riot shields and batons. However, if advances in infrasound weapons technology are to be believed, crowd control may soon be effected using the devastating potential of ultra-low frequency sound. With the potential to induce a range of crippling physical symptoms, hand-held infrasound devices are already available over the Internet for as little as $120.
Aside from the threat of infrasound weaponry, a subtler danger may lie in the low levels of infrasound that surround us on a daily basis. Within the everyday items of Urban technological living are numerous devices that are known to produce infrasound. Machinery such as cars, heating systems and trains all produce ultra-low frequencies, and often city-dwellers complain of illnesses that may be triggered by such 'infrasonic pollution'. The effects can vary from sleep disturbance and irritation to suicidal tendencies, but could this, as some hove suggested, be a deliberate oppression of the masses?
While this is unlikely, in the mid- 1970s, concerns over the effects of infrasound on city-dwellers became a media furore. On 7 September 1975, the "Melbourne Sunday Press" [Australia] ran an article on infrasound under the alarmist headline: "The Low-Pitched Killer: Can sounds of silence be driving us silly?" Public worries were duly intensified and, during this period, one in-depth newspaper report apparently received 800 responses from people claiming to have suffered as a result of low levels of infrasound.
A recent occurrence at Coventry University in the UK may have revealed a connection between infrasound and so-called paranormal phenomena, such as ghosts and poltergeists. In 1998, Vic Tandy, a 43-year-old computer expert, was working late in his laboratory. As the night wore on, he began sweating, and felt a growing unease. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a mysterious figure emerge, making no sound. But when he turned to face the apparition, it vanished.
The next day, he began working on his fencing foil at a workbench. Picking up the foil, he was surprised to see the tip of it vibrating for no apparent reason. His knowledge of physics was enough for him to suspect that ultra-low frequency sound was responsible. With the help of more scientifically-minded colleagues, Tandy was able to determine that infrasound was being produced by a recently installed extractor fan. He and his colleagues surmised that infrasound was interfering with his vision, causing his eyeballs to vibrate and creating a blur. This, they felt, had caused the ghostly apparition, and was also responsible for the feeling of anxiety. The case has led to suggestions that many instances of an apparently paranormal nature may also find explanation in infrasound.
Infrasound has been put to good use by Hollywood. In 1975, Universal Pictures specially developed the 'Sensurround' system for the film Earthquake, which produced the sensation of being in just such a natural disaster through the use of vibration that could be felt as well as heard by the audience. Additionally, low-frequency sound has been used in alternative therapy; vibrations directed on to a particular part of the human body are said to have a beneficial effect. Linguists and biologists have long claimed that humans, use infrasound to scare off an enemy. It is thought that grunts, growls and shouts could mask a lower frequency, affecting an opponent's brain and internal organs. It has even been claimed that a certain cry used by Japanese Samurai warriors can partially paralyse by suddenly lowering the blood pressure.
According to some researchers, prototypes of non-lethal infrasonic weapons were used by the UK Army to quell the troubles in Northern Ireland during the 1970s. Although the UK military vehemently deny the claim, it is known that research carried out by French scientist Vladimir Gavreou in the 1960s had already proved the viability of such weapons. Gavreou subjected several test subjects to differing levels of infrasound, and also produced a device for directing ultra-low frequency soundwaves with some precision.
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