Badmovies.org Forum

This is just too insane.  I have a feeling it's not as perfect and non-lethal as they claim, but it's still quite interesting:

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72134-0.html?tw=wn_story_page_prev2

Skaboi, I've been reading about these very real weapons for about 10 years. They have not been used for a number of reasons. One is how to put them into the field without the enemy getting hold of it, but I think now the devices are getting smaller which is key and other countries are now developing this technology. Sounds like future wars are heating up. Actually about 2 years ago I heard they have used this in Iraq to melt vehicles and turn people into french fries. Rumsfield had also made public comments about this weapon.

We're just a few steps from the really wild stuff being revealed to the public. It will be to late by then.

The main problem with any kind of ray gun, is that the power is inversely proportional to the square of the range. This basic fact of physics means that these weapons will be quite short ranged, unless you find some very efficient way of focussing the beam, or you have a handy power station nearby.

Another thing
In a real life situation, say with city riots ,you always risk that there is one individual who is high on adrenaline/alcohol/speed/any or all of these and who will disregard the pain treshold and does get fried. (The inverse proportion works both ways, get closer and the beam will be A LOT more powerful). You can see the headlines 'killed by non lethal weapon'. Bad juju!

I'm guessing this is the "pain beam" that I saw on the "Non-Lethal Weapons" episode of "Modern Marvels" on The History Channel.

Howstuffworks.com also has an interesting (though somewhat dated) article on pain beams.

READ IT HERE (http://science.howstuffworks.com/pain-beam.htm)

Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System
(http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/pain-beam2.jpg)

After reading the article and the comments, I find myself wondering like some about using it for crowd control or dispersal in urban settings. Mob stampedes to get away from it, or the people getting the effect of the beam not being able to get out of the way fast enough due the people not being hit by it further back.

Also, will rain render it useless, like some suggested? If so how about thick smoke, or dust?

Would it have a timed deactivation or trigger time-out to prevent lethal or near lethal exposure in those crowd situations? Ultra-bad PR when your "non-lethal" gun starts cooking people who can't get out of its way even when they try to. Or if an overzealous operator begins to pick "favorites" out of a crowd.

The potential for misuse and abuse seems very high.

Melt vehicles?...Whoa!
I can just imagine US troops firing this at people and literally turning them into eatable french fries complete in a McDonald's french fry holder.   :teddyr:

(http://stat.rumandmonkey.com/tests/3/3/733/2359.jpg)
"Those aren't potatoes you're eating!"

Charlton Heston runs through the streets

"French Fries are people!  French Fries are people!"

(http://www.singintomymouth.com/blog/images/french_fry_man.jpg)

LOL That reminds me of those old Popeye cartoons where he'd punch a charging bull into the air and when it came back down, it was already cut up into a variety of steaks and sausage links.  :teddyr:

You know, somewhere in here is a movie about a horde of killer potatoes and the only thing between them and the rest of humanity is a platoon of Marines.  I can just see them now, at the end of the battle, looking in vain for the ketchup.  Though, sour cream might be more fitting.

You have a squad of Marines, somewhere out in the desert, testing this new microwave weapon. It is the brain child of a stunningly beautiful female scientist who hopes for 'kinder, gentler wars'. However, they can't get it to work properly. The bluff and brutal colonel threatens to cut off funding unless results are produced quickly. Then, the killer potatoes attack!

Mind you, with killer potatoes, you could do some cool 'things moving fast underground' scenes, as in Tremors

"Damn killer tubers! Go for the eyes! Go for the eyes!"

If there were European soldiers also in the movie, say a joint training/weapons test, they might want mayo on the fries. But they'd could fall ill from the mayo going bad in the desert heat.

But don't microwave fries usually taste like crap anyway?

Twice baked potatoes, maybe if you had the fixings.

Speak of the devil...

ABCNews.com just released this article.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2708856&page=1 (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2708856&page=1)

They bring up the one possibility about pain beams that I hadn't thought of.
To use it for torture.

If test subjects are saying that it feels like your skin is being "dipped in molten lava", imagine the results it could produce as an interrogation tool.

Forget water boarding...that would be a walk in the park compared to a pain beam.