 So-called nonlethal weapons could give U.S. soldiers a means of dispersing hostile crowds without resorting to deadly violence. (Ali Haider/AP Photo) |
Wound-Free Weapons?Plus: Electronic Paper May 9 2003 — In this week's Cybershake, we look at the U.S. military's continuing push to develop weapons that don't kill opponents. Plus, we note the latest development in paper-like electronic displays. |
| STORY HIGHLIGHTS Unveiling a Really Flexible Display |
Not Magic, But Softer Bullets
For decades, the U.S. military has been working on so-called nonlethal weapons, tools that are designed to incapacitate rather than kill. The idea, say experts, is to give troops another way of dealing with angry mobs of people without resorting to excessive use of force.
And Eric Adams, an aviation and military affairs editor for Popular Science magazine, says the military has come a long way from the imperfect "rubber bullets" that were first developed during the 1960s and 1970s.
"There's a whole new generation of nonlethal weapons," he says.
New sponge-tipped grenades, for example, are designed to fire from an infantryman's weapon, much like the early rubber bullets. And while the softer material still delivers enough force to knock down opponents, the grenades have a much lower chance of causing serious, permanent damage.
Adams says that some soldiers were equipped with the softer projectiles and used them during peace keeping missions in Kosovo.
"[An Army unit] used sponge-tip grenades to sort of quell a riot that was taking place [there]," says Adams. "And it was a very effective first use of what is essentially a very low-tech but sophisticated advancement on nonlethal weapons."
But the military is working on high-tech, nonlethal weapons, too. In particular, the Air Force is developing a "beam weapon" called the "active denial system."
"[It] uses a microwave beam to heat the water molecules in your skin to the point where it's beyond the human ability to tolerate pain," says Adams. "Basically, it's the equivalent of someone taking an electric burner and pressing it into your back."
Adams says the military is working on other types of nonlethal weapons including those that "generate sounds that the human brain cannot tolerate" and so-called malodorants. "Those are being designed to mimic the most revolting smells imaginable," says Adams.
The Latest Twist on Electronic Displays
In the computer age, we're accustomed to having information delivered to us on portable electronic devices. But the problem with current electronic displays is that they're just not as convenient to take along and use in places like a crowded train or even the bathroom.
In the latest issue of Nature magazine, E Ink in Cambridge, Mass., claims it has taken a major step closer to the digital age's Holy Grail: an electronic display that can be folded like paper.
The display, about the thickness of three human hairs, is made of sheet of flexible stainless steel and a layer of plastic circuits. The circuits connect to an overlaying film of "electronic ink." When current flows through the circuits, tiny microscopic balls in the film are flipped and produce legible black and white text and images.
"[It is] utra-thin, very light, very rugged, and flexible, but it has a paper-like look," says Dan Button, creator of the E Ink technology. "You'll be able to have things that are so thin and lightweight and rugged that they can be put in your wallet."
Still, there are many other challenges that need to be overcome.
For one, while 3-inch-wide, bendable display has about the same clarity of a rigid computer screen, it is much slower at "refreshing" the on-screen images. It takes about a quarter of a second — 10 times longer than a conventional display — for the images to change.
And the flexible display can't yet produce color images.
While E Ink works on those problems, Button says the display technology could still be useful for other applications, including smaller, lighter portable devices. More importantly, they could be ready for commercial applications — in store signs, for example — within the year.
Cybershake is produced for ABCNEWS Radio by Andrea J. Smith.
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