NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16794717/wid/11915829?GT1=8921

The US Military might have a Heat ray that makes people think they are on fire by 2010 what do you think

it is good, it will save the lives of civilians.

Why will no one think of the children?

If it doesn't actually cause cancer or kill you somehow.

The military having that kind of technology? What could possibly go wrong?

Here's the problem I see. Say there's a demonstration of some kind. They aim the heat ray at the crowd. People that are hit with the heat ray either:

a. Freak out and start a stampede. Crushing others. Perfectly reasonable if you think you are on fire.

b. Not be able to escape the ray and ::really:: be cooked. The article says it instantly raises your body's outside temp to 130F. That can't be healthy for any amount of time.

Please forgive my spelling, I have a migraine.;)

Beat you.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16794717/wid/11915829?GT1=8921

The US Military might have a Heat ray that makes people think they are on fire by 2010 what do you think

OMG! C&C Generals was right! http://home.tiscali.nl/fambekkers/Alphega/files/6small.jpg Behold the microwave tank that makes personal in structure either think their on fire or die in order to clear building garrisons and disable base defenses, alas a weapon very similar to the microwave tank is in development. Either C&C can tell the future, is spying on the US military or Bush is getting ideas from C&C. Alas the age of video game warfare has come to our doorsteps.

Now all we need are tripod walkers and we're in business.

I was about to ask who would volunteer for that and then I read the article...leave it to the jounalists. anything for a story...

The military having that kind of technology? What could possibly go wrong?

Here's the problem I see. Say there's a demonstration of some kind. They aim the heat ray at the crowd. People that are hit with the heat ray either:

a. Freak out and start a stampede. Crushing others. Perfectly reasonable if you think you are on fire.

b. Not be able to escape the ray and ::really:: be cooked. The article says it instantly raises your body's outside temp to 130F. That can't be healthy for any amount of time.

Please forgive my spelling, I have a migraine.;)


Amd why do we give about the health of terrorists?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16794717/wid/11915829?GT1=8921

The US Military might have a Heat ray that makes people think they are on fire by 2010 what do you think

That's it. I'm joining the army.

Amd why do we give about the health of terrorists?

Because it won't be solely used on terrorrists? The whole point of the weapon is as a non-lethal way of dispersing crowds, if it does it by causing stampedes that kill people then it's not really fit for purpose.

Amd why do we give about the health of terrorists?

I take it that that weapon has effects a large area to deal with enemy squads, and terrorist attack while they're inside the crowd so shooting them with this beam can save civilians and disarm foes. The conventional way gets either civs killed or marines because marines have to wait for civs to clear before firing. This is a weapon of desperation, the guerrilla tactics have killed tons of civilians because marines had to fire at them and civs running amok in fear made things worse because as we know at hundred of them have accidentally ran into a bullet or got blown up by a bomb. With the ray it doesn't matter if it hits a civ as well at least the foe is neutralized.

Ah geeze, not this shit again. You do know that you can already make a small microwave gun by harvesting an old microwave oven, right? And then there are those CO2 lasers that shoot beams of pure IR making them basically heat-rays like what the Martians used in War of the Worlds.

I don't think it's very humane, but it is an interesting idea. Seems a bit scary though.

Ah geeze, not this shit again. You do know that you can already make a small microwave gun by harvesting an old microwave oven, right? And then there are those CO2 lasers that shoot beams of pure IR making them basically heat-rays like what the Martians used in War of the Worlds.

Tuning the microwaves correctly makes for maximum sensation without actually cooking people too deeply. Microwave ovens on the other hand are tuned to excite water molecules, and reaching below the surface of the food is considered desirable.

It sounds incredibly fun to use on somebody. Point it at a crowd and watch people randomly freak out for what looks like no reason.

It sounds incredibly fun to use on somebody. Point it at a crowd and watch people randomly freak out for what looks like no reason.

Oh great, stealing microwave weaponry or making it yourslf is going to become the college prank of the decade! :rolleyes:

But will it make popcorn?

But will it make popcorn?

Yes and much much more. MY mom learned the hard way that eggs explode in the microwave. I wonder what would happen if someone aimed it at an egg farm. :D

It sounds incredibly fun to use on somebody. Point it at a crowd and watch people randomly freak out for what looks like no reason.

You mean trample each other to death?

It sounds incredibly fun to use on somebody. Point it at a crowd and watch people randomly freak out for what looks like no reason.

But they'd be all freaking out at once! They'd be able to see other people with the same problem ...

Wouldn't it be much, much more fun to use it on someone who thought they were completely alone? Just as they were pulling their shirt off over their head, for instance. And video it, of course! :evil:

No, but seriously, don't use a microwave oven emitter for a prank. The first bit of them to cook would probably be their eyes ... a bit beyond a prank I think.

It's definately something to chew on. It comes accross as just a bit cliche however useful it may be, especially with the name "ray gun". While I'm sure they intend for it to get smaller, it looks incredibly silly perched up on that Hummer. :D

Sweet now we finally have a weapon to effectively combat militant Canuck penguins.

I think it’s a wonderful use of resources.

I think it's no different than a rifle, really. I mean, if you start firing into a crowd, they'll run away as well, and trample, and so on. The problem here is it being used on otherwise-controllable demonstrations or something.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16794717/wid/11915829?GT1=8921

The US Military might have a Heat ray that makes people think they are on fire by 2010 what do you think

RAY GUNS ARE FUN :D :D :D :D

This is a system that would work once. Countermeasures would include wearing heavy clothing with foil on the outside (with gloves and beanies) or just toughing it out.

If it really is harmless, after the first time it's used a determined fighter will just keep doing whatever their bad thing is (eg, shooting at someone) while the crowd goes wild. The idea that pain will stop a fight may make sense to Raytheon, but they've clearly never seen a bar fight.

The 130-degree range of effect is surely misrepresented. Microwaves of any frequency can be aimed (conductive dish,) so I'm guessing that 130-degrees is the maximum aperture. Hurting bystanders and police and press indiscriminately is about the worst way to deal with a riot.

The technology has been there for decades. Yet the thing looks like something the Mythbusters might build. It's got the surprise value of the Salvation Army Band, and would probably look real nice turned over on it's side and burnt-out.

In fact, everything about this Torture Weapon is pathetically sucky. Either it's a joke, it's 'plastic beads' for selling to unfriendly regimes, or the details of how it works have been misrepresented.

What if it makes a wave that works on the nervous system like a taser without the wire? Tasers won't stop everybody, but they work better than straight pain, and there wouldn't be a stampede until you turned it off.

I voted no. As represented to the public, it sucks.

Hey, is this thing working ...? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Active_Denial_System.jpg)

That's it. I'm joining the army.
Well you are Panamanian.:)
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How will it fare up to the British Force field?

The technology has been there for decades. Yet the thing looks like something the Mythbusters might build. It's got the surprise value of the Salvation Army Band, and would probably look real nice turned over on it's side and burnt-out.

It does look quite top heavy too. And fragile. Heck. Thrown rocks would probably break something sensitive.


What if it makes a wave that works on the nervous system like a taser without the wire? Tasers won't stop everybody, but they work better than straight pain, and there wouldn't be a stampede until you turned it off.


I think they had something like that before. Some kind of directed tesla generator that used lasers to burn a 'corridor' through the air for the electrical bolt to go through.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16794717/wid/11915829?GT1=8921

The US Military might have a Heat ray that makes people think they are on fire by 2010 what do you think

Actually that should be "The US Military has a Heat ray that makes people think they are on fire that will be deployed by 2010." It was supposed to be deployed in Iraq back in 2005.

In July 2005 it was reported that the Active Denial System would be deployed to Iraq before the end of the year. Under an initiative called Project Sheriff, troops will receive a total of 15 vehicles. These deployments did not take place, and as of early 2007 the initial deployment was slated no sooner than 2010.
As of early January 2007, the US Air Force's 820th Security Forces Group at Moody Air Force Base, GA, was the first unit selected to conduct the V-MADS' extended user evaluation portion of the advanced concept technology demonstration process. The process is designed to expedite the transfer of advanced technologies to the warfighters. by evaluating the system under a series of realistic combat scenarios to determine its potential effectiveness in a deployed environment.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/v-mads.htm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16794717/wid/11915829?GT1=8921

The US Military might have a Heat ray that makes people think they are on fire by 2010 what do you think

Also the Bundeswehr has an APC equipped with a microwave beam projector.

About heat ray: I'd call it an unconventional (in the meaning of the Geneva convention) weapon. I guess it will be used mostly as riot control against civilians. Also, raise power output, brains fry.

Shit. I'm going to build my own phased-array maser. You never can know.

It looks incredibly easy to hit.

I think it's bad because , like many non-lethal weapons, it gives the police more incentive to use force against citizens, i.e the UCLA taser incident, or breaking up protests.

This is a system that would work once. Countermeasures would include wearing heavy clothing with foil on the outside (with gloves and beanies) or just toughing it out.
Which means that my tinfoil hat will suddenly become useful!

Oh and my main worry is really people's eyes. Mass, permanent blinding?

That's going to go down well with the press and indeed the general public!

Which means that my tinfoil hat will suddenly become useful!

The hat is only one part of it I think. You'd need more than just a hat.


Oh and my main worry is really people's eyes. Mass, permanent blinding?


Not sure how long an exposure is needed for that to work. But at 10-20 seconds exposure, I figure we're going to see some kind of nerve damage, let alone eye tissue damage.

I would have thought the most likely use of this would be on US citizens as crowd control at any kind of protest. Another giant leap forward for freedom.

Wow, at last, a use for my tinfoil armour!

Where's the neutral option?

Someone posted this yesterday.

It was pointed out that this weapon will be useless if it's raining...Which makes it pretty crap.

Like most weapons, it isn't good or bad. It merely depends on how it is used. I read an article in the Mirror this morning, where the Pentagon claimed that it could be saving troops' lives in Iraq by 2010 (And if we're still stuck in Iraq in 2010 our leaders deserve to be fried...in a permanent fashion) which sounds reasonable - avoids having to store gallons of water for water cannons and plastic bullets, and would therefore make dispersing angry mobs, like the ones that nearly killed, or might have killed, British troops when a tank broke down last year. On the other hand, such a weapon is a politician's wet dream if they want to clamp down on protest - the Gov't has already banned protest outside Parliament here in the UK - and therefore, in the hands of our benevolent governments, could be a bad thing too.