Paralyzing Searchlight to Put the Hurt on Mobs of Miscreants

[TeflonBubba]

Look what the folks at Peak Beam, maker of the Maxa Beam, are up to!

Gizmodo Article
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/paralyzing-searchlight-to-put-the-hurt-on-mobs-of-miscreants-238504.php

Of all the bombs, bullets, blasts and booms that have been paralyzing you with fear, now there's a paralyzing spotlight to add to that grim list. The U.S. Army has figured out a way to use a 7.5 million candlepower beam of light to put the serious hurt on you without killing you, shining an extremely bright, strobing xenon-based searchlight on you until you faint like a goat. White-hot spotlight indeed.


Wired Magazine Article
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/02/new_roboweapon_.html

The project will see a Peak Beam Systems searchlight adapted to operate as a strobe capable of inducing physical effects, such as short-term paralysis, in humans.
AATD plans to award contacts to the Edgemont, Pennsylvania-based Peak Systems for the modified searchlight in March, with demonstrations within 12 months.

US government acquisition records released on 9 February say the sole source contract calls for Peak Systems to "design and fabricate a light-based immobilisation system/deterrent device and integrate it with an unmanned aerial system. This will include any necessary medical research on frequency and amplitude modulation of high-intensity light that will cause immobilisation to all those within the beam."

The system uses a xenon-based searchlight that "can be pulsed with a unique modulation [strobe] effect that results in immobilisation to those within the beam. This effort will transition the lamp from a handheld/vehicle mounted system to an airborne platform."

Maybe, we could get our hands on a prototype and test it on our fellow CPFers at the next gathering...

I volunteer to be a test subject! :duck: :duck:

 

[Secur1]

Good find TeflonBubba, now all i need is to find a way to fit this on my keychain and i'm good to go

 

[floordog]

I am using a "30million" candlepower portable battery powered lantern that uses a single 135 watt XENON lamp AKA "Big Dog" lantern. It is a 9inch diameter parabolic front surface with 12 inch diameter fresnel lens and is "bright" but not "that" bright. It is allegedly 6 times brighter than daylight. I can use it during bright sunlight (noon-no clouds) and you can see shadows from it! It looks like a "police helicopter searchlight" during the day. Of course I am looking for a brighter more powerful flashlight. The "Big Dog" is an HID type and only draws 12 amps continuous. I want a lantern that that draws at least 30 amps (360 watts), number 10 gauge wire. Of course 360 watts is not that much more powerful than 135 watts, unless I go to much higher voltage. I found a battery for my lantern that can give me a continuous 170 amps at 10 volts. This might be place to start? I also found a 600 watt Xenon flashtube that will burn continuously. Now all I have to do is build it. I will need a separate power supply, radiator and fan for the water cooling. I want continuous lighting not a stobe, and not a laser- thats "cheating". I found a continuous range gated LED array laser at 40 watts made in USA , but that might be dangerous- if used continuously!

 

[floordog]

oops the portable battrey it is rated 170 amps at 12 volts nominal for 24 hours without charging.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

Wrong headed. "Non-lethal" weapons may be appropriate for parents but it's probably a bad idea to expend resources to develop weapons that make your army less lethal. With enough of that kind of thinking a country could end up with over 700 military bases worldwide and troops deployed in more than 100 countries...oh yeah, that's right, we do! Never mind.

 

[Jefff]

:laughing: lol no-doubt..

errrr carry on

 

[XeRay]

I wonder what the strobe rate is in Hz? (cycles per second)

 

[TeflonBubba]

I wonder what the strobe rate is in Hz? (cycles per second)

Based on the article, it looks like they may need to conduct medical research to to fulfill the contract and answer your question...

"...any necessary medical research on frequency and amplitude modulation of high-intensity light that will cause immobilisation to all those within the beam."

Truth is that the Maxa Beam already has a strobing feature as a way to disorient humans. Perhaps they plan to refine the strobing frequency to augment its effectiveness.

 

[Patriot]

Based on the article, it looks like they may need to conduct medical research to to fulfill the contract and answer your question...

"...any necessary medical research on frequency and amplitude modulation of high-intensity light that will cause immobilisation to all those within the beam."

Ahh, I just don't buy into this one guys. "immobilisation" ...???

Bright, strobing lights just don't have the capacity to do this. Some people run blindly even after being pepper sprayed in the eyes. Light can't make your muscle impulses shut down.

"immobilisation" is something that a Taser or stun-gun will do, but not a bright strobbing light no matter how intense.

 

[RustyKnee]

Ahh, I just don't buy into this one guys. "immobilisation" ...???

Bright, strobing lights just don't have the capacity to do this. Some people run blindly even after being pepper sprayed in the eyes. Light can't make your muscle impulses shut down.

"immobilisation" is something that a Taser or stun-gun will do, but not a bright strobbing light no matter how intense.

A taser acts on the muscles almost directly.... if this works, isn't this working on the muscles via the eyes then brain then servous system? I don't think its the light shining through the skin on the muscles. If you can disable the brain from working properly.....

if it does affect your brain knocking you out....would be interesting to know of what if any the side affects are.

Stu

 

[XeRay]

From my past reading certain frequencies can trigger seizures in persons already prone to get them.

 

[David_Web]

It sure can, and then it is a lethal weapon set to kill.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Light can't make your muscle impulses shut down.

A few too many beers will have that effect...

 

[smokinbasser]

Nahh that's common sense that beer shuts down, well that and the attractiveness of women goes up in direct proportion to beer ingestion.

 

[frogs3]

As one who has epilepsy, XeRay is correct that some people will have a seizure triggered by the correct frequency of flashing light. I was warned about this by my Neurologist when I had my first one 27 years ago.

If a "weapon", of any type, disables the "bad" guy or "enemy", it matters little whether it is lethal or nonlethal if it works -- unless you are considered the "bad" guy. Foreign policy is not developed in any particular direction based on this simple principle, and jingoism as a result does not belong on this Forum.

Stick to what we are about here -- clearly politics is not that thing.

Just my $0.025.

-hak

 

[KuoH]

While it says paralysis, I wonder if immobilization would be a more appropriate functional description. Yes if you stare directly into an extremely bright strobing light, it could induce intense physiological discomfort in a person, but I don't know that it would necessarily cause paralysis or loss of consciousness. It could however, disorient a person to the point where one has no choice but to close their eyes and/or walk around aimlessly. I remember the "old" days when I used to go clubbing and the normal strobe lights was enough to cause some people to become disoriented and sometimes lose their balance. I would guess that there is a range of frequencies rather than one magic frequency at which many people would become susceptible to that kind of disorientation, given an intense enough light source that is.

I don't know if they still sell these, but you used to be able to buy variable frequency strobe lights at all kinds of places. If one were curious enough, they could procure such a device and simply experiement on themselves. At a range of a couple of inches, you shouldn't need 7.5MP to make yourself puke. One thing these strobes can't do is to alter the duty cycle of the light, which could possibly intensify the disorienting effect since more photons would likely reach the target's retina before they instinctively blinked or closed their eyes.

Ofcourse this is all just conjecture on my part since I'm not one of these people with "Top Secret" clearances who get chauffeured around everyday by armed gaurds in silent black helicopters.

KuoH aka Jerry Fletcher

if it does affect your brain knocking you out....would be interesting to know of what if any the side affects are.

 

[bridgman]

I assume it shines through your skull and works directly on your brain cells ?

 

[LuxLuthor]

This is a lame idea, easily defeated by avoiding the light (holding up a piece of cardboard or turning away), use dark glasses/welding goggles, etc.

If I was a bad guy, the first thing I would do is make a pinhole lense in the cardboard & start shooting at the light or toss a frag in their direction. Yeah, they are gonna stand still flashing a lame strobe at some dude capping off rounds.

{MODERATOR NOTE: Inapproprate content removed.}

I can imagine the expense of this setup....courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer.

 

[TOOCOOL]

I feel quite lightheaded now. :laughing:

 

[KuoH]

I think the idea is that this would be used to subdue nonlethal threats with nonlethal force. If the target were apt to shoot back, you can bet there would be live rounds immediately following the path of the beam to the target. Besides, do you often walk around with cardboard & pin or welding goggles? And it would probably still be very difficult to aim a gun at a 7.5MP strobing light source even with welding goggles on.

KuoH

If I was a bad guy, the first thing I would do is make a pinhole lense in the cardboard & start shooting at the light or toss a frag in their direction. Yeah, they are gonna stand still flashing a lame strobe at some dude capping off rounds.