Technology
US Navy building secret weapon that ‘leaves target unable to communicate’ by blasting their own voice back at them
A SONIC weapon that disorientates a target by blasting their own voice back at them is being developed by the US Navy.
The weapon is non lethal but is said to leave a target unable to communicate.
NSWC Crane’s application file at the US Patent and Trademark officeThe handheld sonic weapon is designed to disorientate a single target[/caption]
Patents.google.comThe patent for it has been approved[/caption]
The conversation-stopping device is called an Acoustic Hailing And Disruption (AHAD) system.
It’s handheld and features a long-range microphone that records a target’s voice and then amplifies it back to them.
The voice is played back on two tracks.
One track is almost exactly the same as the original and the other has a slight delay of around a few hundred milliseconds.
A parametric speaker directs the sounds back at the target and a disorientating echo is created.
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Parametric speakers are useful because they can direct high intensity sound at a very specific area, almost like a laser beam.
A patent filed for the AHAD system was approved earlier this summer.
The patent application stated: “Due to the delayed auditory feedback effect, the target speaker’s concentration will be disrupted, making it difficult for them to continue speaking.”
Other people around the target wouldn’t be able to notice the feedback so the target would look like they couldn’t communicate for no reason.
The device is the latest of a collection of nonlethal weapons being envisioned for military use.
Researcher in Japan tested a similar device in 2012.
They called it a ‘SpeechJammer for “controlling discussions” without causing any “physical discomfort”.
NSWC Crane’s application file at the US Patent and Trademark officeThe weapon uses a parametric speaker to focus high-intensity sound directly at an individual[/caption]
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