The nonlethal Active Defense System (ADS) just sounds like a bad idea
Science has been used for both good, and ill. We all know it. We all live with it. It’s one of those things that good scientists think about. Is this learning going to benefit the world, or destroy it. Now, I think the development of nonlethal weapons is a good thing. Killing a person should be the absolute last resort, and when you’re dealing with a mob, well lethal force shouldn’t be an option. Fine.
So via Wired News, I learned about the Air Force’s new Active Defense System. Here’s a description from the article:
The crowd is getting ugly. Soldiers roll up in a Hummer. Suddenly, the whole right half of your body is screaming in agony. You feel like you’ve been dipped in molten lava. You almost faint from shock and pain, but instead you stumble backwards — and then start running. To your surprise, everyone else is running too. In a few seconds, the street is completely empty.
Okay I’m not liking the sound of this. It works by using a beam of millimeter waves, smaller than the waves used in microwaves. The effect is supposed to be nonlethal or cause permanent (or any they claim) damage. Get this:
The beam produces what experimenters call the "Goodbye effect," or "prompt and highly motivated escape behavior." In human tests, most subjects reached their pain threshold within 3 seconds, and none of the subjects could endure more than 5 seconds.
"It will repel you," one test subject said. "If hit by the beam, you will move out of it — reflexively and quickly. You for sure will not be eager to experience it again."
Why don’t they spend time and energy on stuff like those gooey balls from The Incredibles? Or maybe some kind of foam that hardens to make a barrier? Or super sticky Silly String? Maybe an incredibly noxious smell? Why cause pain? Why tap into that part of our being (the don’t hurt me part)?
I don’t get it.
Tags: ADS, Active Defense System, Goodbye effect
4 Comments