Non-lethal weapons, huh? Well, now I’ve heard of some silly things, like Star Wars and tofu dogs, things that seem to defeat themselves by the sheer irony of their existence. Do NLWs fall into this category? Maybe it’s not a bad idea. Star Wars is a great idea really, at least in putting the onus of self-defense on the purest of defensive strategies. But in reality it can’t keep up with the evolution of smarter aggressors. We are always one step ahead of one another. It’s why computers will always be hacked and computer files will always be shared. Pure defense is a myth.

Non-lethals may be problematic to design and test, but they will never short us of amusing scenarios. Think of stink bombs and laughing gas…why the applications are endless. It’s third grade all over. Perhaps world leaders will have so much fun designing these new incapacitants that they’ll get carried away and forget who’s piece of candy they wanted in the first place. Oh, the irony!

Some of my favorite technologies available today:

–Anti-traction technology: Teflon-type environmentally neutral lubricants that make footholds or traction exceedingly difficult. A product of this type can be used to deny access to areas or to cover a unit’s flank.
– Sticky foam: Extremely adhesive foam that immobilizes individuals. This foam can be used to subdue an individual or reinforce obstacles.
– Infrasound: Low-frequency sound generators that incapacitate individuals by causing nausea, disorientation and bowel spasms.
–Vortex weapons: The vortex gun fires a doughnut-shaped shock wave, powerful enough to knock people down. The gun can also be filled with a riot-control agent such as pepper spray that disperses a chemical irritant as well as knocks a person down.

Sticky foam. Bring on the foam. War of the future will be disguised as an Ibiza rave.

Got an idea for a NLW?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 6th, 2002 at 12:16 am and is filed under general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.