Microwave beam weapons to dispurse crowds

Microwave beam weapon to disperse crowds
By Jeff Hecht, Boston

Tests of a controversial weapon that is designed to heat people's skin with a microwave beam have shown that it can disperse crowds. But critics are not convinced the system is safe.

Last week, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in New Mexico finished testing the system on human volunteers. The Air Force now wants to use this Active Denial Technology (ADT), which it says is non-lethal, for peacekeeping or riot control at "relatively long range" - possibly from low-flying aircraft.

ADT uses a 2-metre dish to create a narrow beam of microwaves that can be scanned across a crowd or even aimed at individuals. AFRL is using infrared photography to analyse the heating effect on the volunteers' bodies.

AFRL says that the 3-millimetre wavelength radiation penetrates only 0.3 millimetres into the skin, rapidly heating the surface above the 45 �C pain threshold. At 50 �C, they say the pain reflex makes people pull away automatically in less than a second - it's said to feel like fleetingly touching a hot light bulb. Someone would have to stay in the beam for 250 seconds before it burnt the skin, the lab says, giving "ample margin between intolerable pain and causing a burn".
www.newscientist.com...

I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to turn up the power to incinerate people. This guise of riot control I bet is a cover for more sinister aplications. Anyway thoughts ?

This was propsed at the same time as the ultra low frequency sound cannon which made people dizzy and nauseated. I think it's a good idea, as long as they don't give it a little too much power.

Skin Cancer anyone???

I wonder how hot they can get it ? And when are they going to deloy it ?

hell deploy it now lets turn it up and tryit out on the talibans sounds good too me.
I bet they would turn bin and sadome over in a heart beat if we started slow bakeing them just remember i like my MED.RARE.

[Edited on 19-9-2002 by T�x�s R��ͣ]

Deniable technology in action.