Anyone else think this is stupid?

[OU Adonis]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/24/ray.gun.ap/index.html



While the sudden, 130-degree Fahrenheit (54.44 Celsius) heat was not painful, it was intense enough to make participants think their clothes were about to ignite.

Ok, so its a weapon that doesn't hurt, but it makes people THINK it might do damage.

God I hope none of the rioters read CNN and see that the weapon is actually harmless. Because all that money will be thrown down the drain.

[Ike]

not think....feel.


in tests of this thing, it was determined that a determined person might be able to stand in one of these beams for 10-15 seconds while experiencing extreme discomfort.


the CNN article really doesn't do it justice...there was a wired news article on this several months ago that was way more informative...I'll see if I can dig it up.

[yermom]

130 degrees is pretty darn hot

i think i heard once that 112-113 is about where you touch something and pull away saying "ouch"

[Ike]

here's the article
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72134-0.html?tw=wn_index_1

I was wrong about the time...3 to 5 seconds, not 10 to 15


Documents acquired for Wired News using the Freedom of Information Act claim that most of the radiation (83 percent) is instantly absorbed by the top layer of the skin, heating it rapidly.

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."

But while subjects may feel like they have sustained serious burns, the documents claim effects are not long-lasting. At most, "some volunteers who tolerate the heat may experience prolonged redness or even small blisters," the Air Force experiments concluded.

[SoonerTerry]

I bet they can turn it up..

[skycat]

For once, a tin-foil hat might be pretty useful.

[Ike]

or a full-body covering of wire mesh with 1.5 mm spacing.

[IronSooner]

Of course this will mostly be used in the police station to reheat coffee and melt plastic army men.

[yermom]

130 degrees is pretty darn hot

i think i heard once that 112-113 is about where you touch something and pull away saying "ouch"

hmm, maybe i heard it wrong... this says the threshold is more like 130

http://www.temperatures.com/facts.html

[Harry Beanbag]

130 degrees is nothing. Try painting steam pipes in the engine room of a war ship in the Persian Gulf in July. 150 degrees +.

[Ike]

130 degrees is nothing. Try painting steam pipes in the engine room of a war ship in the Persian Gulf in July. 150 degrees +.

I 'magine that the "130" degrees mentioned in the CNN article was the effect of using this thing on far less than full power at the media demonstration. You wanna play nice for the media.

I'll bet that in actual combat and/or riot situations, it feels a lot worse.

[tbl]

To answer the question; no, I don't think it's stupid.

[proud gonzo]

harmless? i feel like i'm getting a sunburn just thinking about it.

[Frozen Sooner]

You're probably just allergic to it.

[Ike]

harmless? i feel like i'm getting a sunburn just thinking about it.

probably can't happen. Sunburns are caused by ultraviolet rays, which are of higher energy than visible light. The light that this machine shoots is at the low end of the infra-red spectrum, which is pretty low energy. It also means that this probably can't cause cancer. Permanent damage from photons occur when a photon is energetic enough to break chemical bonds in the nuclei of cells. This doesn't normally happen until photons are in the UV range and up.

[proud gonzo]

i'm sure my pasty pale-ness would find a way ;)

[SicEmBaylor]

I love pasty pale looking girls, not in teh goth way but in the natural way. A natural pale is great.

[tbl]

I love pasty pale looking girls, not in teh goth way but in the natural way. A natural pale is great.
I actually agree with you on this one. When will that come back into style? I mean, I like the tan (subtle), but there is definitely something to be said for a natural white girl.

[SicEmBaylor]

On the subject, can these laser beams be attached to a shark's head?

[skycat]

They aren't lasers!!

[Widescreen]

I bet they can turn it up..
It would be sweet if they could turn it up to 11 and vaporize a terrorist leaving only a rag.

[Ike]

They aren't lasers!!
but in principle, it could still be attached to the head of a shark....it just wouldn't be very effective if fired from underwater.

[fadada1]

this was the orginal weapon designed for the death star. after it was determined that it would not, in fact, destroy a planet, it was replaced with the uber laser we see today.