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| Baby screams to fight Al Qaeda |
| 2004-03-12 |
| AMERICAN soldiers in Iraq will this month be armed with a stun gun that uses a baby’s high-pitched scream to bring enemies to their knees. Bhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Sorry The "Secret Scream" gun fires sonic "bolts" across distances as far as 300m at up to 145db, with results ranging from excruciating agony to permanent deafness - or even death after a prolonged burst. The weapon consists of a large megaphone on an armoured vehicle, aimed by a computer. It will be used to control rioters and target gunmen. The Pentagon reportedly made an order for a prototype of similar weapons last July. They visited American Technology Corporation, run by Woody Norris, who is a pioneer in ultrasound technology. "(For) most people, even if they plug their ears, it will produce the equivalent of an instant migraine. Some people, it will knock them on their knees," he said. The device emits so-called "sonic bullets" along a narrow, intense beam up to 145 decibels, 50 times the human threshold of pain. The baby scream can be projected at such high levels that it can literally leave a victim’s skull vibrating, Mr Norris claims. The pioneering aspect of Mr Norris’s work is based on the direct path his sonic bullets take. Previous attempts to create such a weapon proved difficult because sound travelled in all directions, harming bystanders near to any specific target. US defence department officials are reportedly keen on the weapon in the hunt for al-Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan. With sound ricocheting in their tight cave hideouts, experts believe terrorists fighting US forces would be flushed out quickly. Marine Colonel Peter Dotto told the American ABC network: "They would have to come out and they probably would come out with their hands over their ears so they would be very easy to subdue at that point." The technology developed by Norris could also be picked up by retail companies hoping to sell their products. Sounds such soft drinks being poured over ice could be directed at passers by to subliminally make them feel like a drink. It could also be used in home entertainment to direct television or hi-fi sounds away from those in the house not wishing to be disturbed. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #12 "The baby scream can be projected at such high levels that it can literally leave a victim’s skull vibrating." I think all baby's do that. |
| Posted by: Evert Visser 2004-3-12 1:51:06 PM |
| #11 I'm assuming $1.95 ear plugs from Ace Hdwr won't block the death ray... |
| Posted by: Hyper 2004-3-12 1:05:22 PM |
| #10 Next: details of the "World's Funniest Joke", a diabolically clever weapon first used against the Huns in WWI... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-3-12 12:14:16 PM |
| #9 I fear we are entering into a dangerous arms race. What will happen when Al Quaida scientists develop the "Jihadi number 5" perfume for use against US troops? |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-3-12 11:56:09 AM |
| #8 I fear we are entering into a dangerous arms race. What will happen when Al Quaida scientists develop the "Jihadi number 5" perfume for use against US troops? |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-3-12 11:35:39 AM |
| #7 Could this please go in the Classics? |
| Posted by: Steve from Relto 2004-3-12 10:10:25 AM |
| #6 Not to mention the chemical warfare attacks by diapered babies... What is that green stuff anyway? |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-3-12 9:36:37 AM |
| #5 Marine Colonel Peter Dotto told the American ABC network: "They would have to come out and they probably would come out with their hands over their ears so they would be very easy to subdue at that point." Or just, you know, shoot them. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-3-12 9:32:03 AM |
| #4 A friend of mine used to joke about his infant daughter's "Dreaded Ultrasonic Baby Shriek." It's not a joke any more. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-3-12 8:36:50 AM |
| #3 ...On the other hand, anyone who's actually had to deal with babies can confirm you don't need a sonic cannon to achieve this effect, and one should keep in mind a unexpected effect the USAF found along these lines some years back. At the E&E school up at Fairchild AFB, WA, the sim POWs were kept awake all night by an endless loop of a baby crying - all, that is, execpt the guys there who were actually parents. They slept like rocks. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-3-12 8:25:25 AM |
| #2 The baby scream can be projected at such high levels that it can literally leave a victim’s skull vibrating. Thats actually funny. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2004-3-12 8:17:59 AM |
| #1 At least they didn't disclose innerworkings of the fabulous Deano Driver. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-12 8:13:20 AM |