Sonic weaponry
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Sonic and ultrasonic weapons (USW) are weapons of various types that
use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic
weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by
military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science
fiction. Some of these weapons have been described as sonic bullets,
sonic grenades, sonic mines, or sonic cannons. Some make a focused
beam of sound or ultrasound; some make an area field of sound.
Although many real sonic and ultrasonic weapons are described as "non-
lethal", they can still kill under certain conditions.
[edit] Designed to emit sound as an irritant
Extremely high-power sound waves can break the eardrums of a target
and cause severe pain or disorientation. This is usually sufficient to
incapacitate a person. At higher energy levels, a subsonic shock wave
is theoretically powerful enough to do damage (see Earthquake).
[citation needed] The possible effects have been the subject of much
speculation. The EMF Dosimetry Hand Book will provide further results
of the bio-effects and expectations of these weapons. [4] Less
powerful sound waves can cause humans to experience nausea or
discomfort. The use of these frequencies to incapacitate persons has
occurred both in counter-terrorist and crowd control settings.
The possibility of a device that produces frequency that causes
vibration of the eyeballs — and therefore distortion of vision — was
apparently confirmed by the work of engineer Vic Tandy[1][2] while
attempting to demystify a “haunting” in his laboratory in Coventry.
This “spook” was characterised by a feeling of unease and vague
glimpses of a grey apparition. Some detective work implicated a newly
installed extractor fan that, Tandy found, was generating infrasound
of 18.9 Hz, 0.3 Hz, and 9 Hz.
In 2005 CNN reported that the crew of the cruise ship Seabourn Spirit
used a long range acoustic device (LRAD) to deter pirates who chased
and attacked the ship[5]. Its actual efficacy, however, has not been
established.
The BBC reported in Oct 2006 on a 'mobile' sonic device which is being
used in Grimsby, Hull and Lancashire and is designed to deter
troublesome teenagers from lingering around shops in target areas. The
device works by emitting an ultra-high frequency blast (around
19-20khz) that teenagers or people under approximately 20 are
susceptible to and find uncomfortable. Age-related hearing loss
apparently prevents the ultra-high pitch sound causing a nuisance to
those in their late twenties and above, though this is wholly
dependent on a young person's exposure to high sound pressure levels.
[edit] Demonstrated infrasonic weapon
The U.S. DOD has demonstrated phased arrays of infrasonic emitters.
The weapon usually consists of a device that generates sound at about
7 Hz. The output from the device is routed (by pipes) to an array of
open emitters. At this frequency, armor and concrete walls and other
common building materials allow sound waves to pass through, providing
little defense.[3]
[edit] Lethal sonic weapons, in air
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help
improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material
may be challenged and removed. (December 2007)
These are hypothetical or conceptual weapons possibly in development:
The Vortex ring gun, a weapon that fires an acoustic air vortex that
knocks people down.
Sonic bullets are being planned to be used in anti-hijack packs in
planes.[4]
A tight beam of focused sound used as a weapon like the focused light
in laser guns.
A powerful ultrasound beam which can liquefy living tissue.
A powerful low frequency sound designed to get buildings or structures
to resonate and cause them to collapse.
[edit] Lethal sonic weapons, underwater
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improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material
may be challenged and removed. (February 2007)
The use of sonic weapons underwater has been widely speculated about.
Ultrasound disintegration of solids in liquids is well known in
industry, and could be adapted into a weapon.
It has long been known that ultrasound in water will kill small water
animals.
There have been unconfirmed reports of scuba diver deaths and mass
deaths of fish from being caught in powerful undersea ultrasound beams
used by navies for communicating with submarines. Also see anti-
frogman techniques.
It is suspected that massive whale beachings are caused by submarine
sonar disorienting or deafening underwater mammals.
Tiger pistol shrimps use acoustic cavitation to focus a wave of sound
to stun or kill their prey
It is suspected that sperm whales and dolphins use powerful ultrasound
to stun prey.
There have been unconfirmed speculations about development of lethal
underwater ultrasound anti-frogman weapons.
The UPSS/IAS diver-detector sonar system includes an underwater
shockwave emitter.
[edit] Research
See USA Department of Defense policy on non-lethal weapons.
Some common bio-effects of electromagnetic or other non-lethal weapons
include effects to the human central nervous system resulting in
physical pain, difficulty breathing, vertigo, nausea, disorientation,
or other systemic discomfort. Interference with breathing poses the
most significant, potentially lethal results. Light and repetitive
visual signals can induce epileptic seizures. Vection and motion
sickness can also occur. Cavitation, which affects gas nuclei in human
tissue, and heating can result from exposure to ultrasound and can
cause damage to tissue and organs.
Studies have found that exposure to high intensity ultrasound at
frequencies from 700 kHz to 3.6 MHz can cause lung and intestinal
damage in mice. Heart rate patterns following vibroacoustic
stimulation has resulted in serious negative consequences such as
arterial flutter and bradycardia. [5] [6]
Researchers have concluded that generating pain through the auditory
system using high intensity sound resulted in a high risk of permanent
hearing damage. Organizations in a research program which included the
Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (Groton, Connecticut),
Navy Experimental Diving Unit (Panama City, Florida), SCC San Diego,
Navy Medical Research and Development Command (Bethesda, Maryland),
Underwater Sound Reference Detachment of Naval Undersea Warfare Center
(Orlando, Florida), Applied Research Laboratories: University of Texas
at Austin, Applied Physics Laboratory: University of Washington,
Institute for Sensory Research: Syracuse University, Georgia Institute
of Technology, Emory University, Boston University, University of
Vermont, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, University of Rochester, University of
Minnesota, University of Illinois, Loyola University, and the State
University of New York at Buffalo, involved high intensity audible
sound experiments on human subjects.
The extra-aural (unrelated to hearing) bioeffects on various internal
organs and the central nervous system included auditory shifts,
vibrotactile sensitivity change, muscle contraction, cardiovascular
function change, central nervous system effects, vestibular (inner
ear) effects, and chest wall/lung tissue effects. Researchers found
that low frequency sonar exposure could result in significant
cavitations, hypothermia, and tissue shearing. No follow on
experiments were recommended. Tests performed on mice show the
threshold for both lung and liver damage occurs at about 184 dB.
Damage increases rapidly as intensity is increased.
Noise-induced neurologic disturbances in humans exposed to continuous
low frequency tones for durations longer than 15 minutes has involved
in some cases the development of immediate and long term problems
affecting brain tissue. The symptoms resembled those of individuals
who had suffered minor head injuries. One theory for a causal
mechanism is that the prolonged sound exposure resulted in enough
mechanical strain to brain tissue to induce an encephalopathy.[7]
“Project Pandora” conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of
Research, WRAIR, included externally induced auditory input from
pulsed microwave audiograms of words or oral sounds which create the
effect of hearing voices that are not a part of the recipients own
thought processes.
[edit] See also
Long range acoustic device (LRAD)
Brown note
Sone (a unit of loudness of sound)
Sound pressure
Sound energy flux
Sound power
Sound intensity
Infrasound
Ultrasound
[edit] References
^ skepdic.com. infrasound
^ "The ghost in the machine". Journal of the Society for Psychical
Research (62): 360–364. 1998.
^ Low Frequency Noise Report 2003
^ Sonic bullets for use against hijackers
^ Exploiting Technical Opportunities to Capture Advanced Capabilities
for Our Soldiers; Army AL&T; 2007 Oct-Dec; Dr. Reed Skaggs [1]
^ Air University Research Template: "NON-LETHAL WEAPONS: SETTING OUR
PHASERS ON STUN? Potential Strategic Blessings and Curses of Non-
Lethal Weapons on the Battlefield"; Erik L. Nutley, Lieutenant
Colonel, USAF; August 2003; Occasional Paper No. 34; Center for
Strategy and Technology; Air War College; Air University; Maxwell Air
Force Base, Alabama; PG12 [2]
^ “Non-Lethal Swimmer Neutralization Study”; Applied Research
Laboratories; The University of Texas at Austin; G2 Software Systems,
Inc., San Diego; TECHNICAL DOCUMENT 3138; May 2002 [3]
[edit] External links
USA Today report on cruise ship attack — Data on device used by cruise
ship (PDF)
Information about a pioneer in infrasonic applications such as
weaponry.
Jack Sargeant, with David Sutton. Sonic weapons. ForteanTimes,
December 2001
Sonic Devastator by Future Horizons, described in Weird Technology at
HOPE Number Six
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