Troops in Iraq Get High-Tech Noisemaker

AP ^ | March 2, 2003

[Shermy]

NEW YORK - U.S. soldiers in Iraq have new gear for dispersing hostile crowds and warding off potential enemy combatants. It blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam.

The equipment, called a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.

The devices have been used on some U.S. ships since last summer as part of a suite of protection measures.

Now, the Army and Marines have added this auditory barrage dispenser to their arms ensembles. Troops in Fallujah, a center of insurgency west of Baghdad, and other areas of central Iraq in particular often deal with crowds in which lethal foes intermingle with non-hostile civilians.

The developer of the LRAD, American Technology Corp. of San Diego, recently got a $1.1 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to buy the gadgets for units deployed to Iraq. The Army also sent LRADs to Iraq to test on vehicles.

Some of the Iraq-bound devices will be used by members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, both recently deployed to the western province of Al Anbar, a largely barren, predominantly Sunni Muslim area.

Though not officially part of the military's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, the 45-pound, dish-shaped device belongs to a developing arsenal of technologies intended not to kill but to deter.

Another such weapon, expected to be tested in the field soon, is the Active Denial System. It seeks to repel enemies with a painful energy beam.

Carl Gruenler, vice president of military and government operations for American Technology Corp., said LRADs are "in the beginnings of being used in Baghdad," though he said he lacked "initial feedback" on how they are working.

Dubbed "The Sound of Force Protection" in a company brochure, the devices can broadcast sound files containing warning messages. Or they can be used with electronic translating devices for what amounts to "narrowcasting."

If crowds or potential foes don't respond to the verbal messages, the sonic weapon, which measures 33 inches in diameter, can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.

The devices "place distance between the Marine and their threat, giving him/her more time to sort out a measured and appropriate response," Lt. Col. Susan Noel, force protection officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said in an ATC statement announcing the contract.

Gruenler compares the LRAD's shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels; smoke detectors are in the 80 to 90 decibel range.

"Inside 100 yards, you definitely don't want to be there," said Gruenler, adding that the device is recommended for a range of 300 yards or less.

Hearing experts say sound that loud and of that high a frequency — about 2,100 to 3,100 hertz — could be dangerous if someone were exposed to it long enough.

"That's a sensitive region for developing hearing loss," said Richard Salvi, director of the Center for Hearing and Deafness at the University at Buffalo. "The longer the duration, the more serious it is."

Gruenler concedes that permanent hearing damage is possible if someone were exposed to the sound for lengthy periods.

But he said the high-pitched tone is intended to only be used for a few seconds at a time.

[WestTexasWend]

"...something about a certain sub-20hz frequency that induced in the human nervous system (through the spinal column IIRC) a palpable sense of panic and fear."


Sounds like some of the symptoms Europeans are claiming to suffer from the "woosh" of wind farms. (They're wooshies.....sorry)

The LRAD is good thinking, though, and might help in tracking "persons of interest" ... who soon will be:
1) hard-of-hearing and easier to sneak up on, or
2) wearing ear protectors.

[grimalkin]

I could have sworn I saw an article posted here about that. The idea came from great cats... I recall tigers specifically. They make very low frequency sounds when confronting prey. It is said to stun them.

[eno_]

I've long wanted to have such a device mounted on my car so that the next time I'm stopped for revenue purposes I can make the cop soil his trousers before he reaches my car. Then I'll fiegn not being able to find my registration for a minute or two while it slides down his pants leg.

[Petronski]

Note to self: build and deploy a 7Hz emitter. (Contact eno_ with specs and instuctions.)

[76834]

(Sounds) like a great plan, but a suggestion:
Set it up with a sound like a baby crying, now that would drive anyone nuts.

Cant wait till a civilian version comes out.
Would be great to use on drive by boomers

[Guillermo]

I saw this thing a few weeks ago on one of the educational channels.

It seemed a bit big and cumbersome to me, but, what do I know.

[montag813]

Looks like the protestors at the next tradefest might be in trouble. Unless someone comes up with a neutraliser of some kind.

Unfortunately there IS one device which neutralizes these waves...

[Radioactive]

How about at Ketchup Boy Kerry rallys???

Yeah. The military is planning on broadcasting Kerry's speeches and it is guaranteed to put anyone asleep.

[Prodigal Son]

Cool. I like seeing this kind of stuff.

What I want to see (in order to satisfy a personal theory) is a weapon that makes the enemy instantly crap his pants. (ok, A10 Warthog aside) Could you imagine a thing like that? Turn it on an unruly crowd and they all get an uncontrollable case of the runs? My personal theory is, it would take the steam out of 'em just like that. I don't think people would be agressive with their lunch running down their legs.

Then again, they'd probably just start showing up to the riot with diapers.

Still be funny to see.

[eno_]

It could actually be quite challenging. A normal loudspeaker would be horribly inefficient at that frequency. Even a horn would be troublesome. So the question is if it is possible to make a really small hydraulic emitter, like a small whistle or organ pipe tuned to 7hz. Which gets you into the physics of hydraulic emitters smaller than the wavelength.

[MD_Willington_1976]

And at the other end of the spectrum the Russians used to use higher frequencyies against the US embassy in the USSR, they did quite a bit of experimenting with it on how it could be used to motive people and to cause problems...the us military has been playing with HF weapons too, actually you can focus beams of HF at incoming devices like missiles and scramble their electronic brains...

http://www.house.gov/jec/hearings/02-25-8h.htm

http://liun.hektik.org/hightech/herf/ISTAS.htm

Have fun...put your foil hat on too

MD

[finnman69]

[finnman69]

[finnman69]

[Theo]

LOL! That is the funniest spoof photo I've seen in a long time. :-)

[Outlaw76]

I think my old wind up alarm clock worked at about that 7Hz. Ok, maybe closer to 3Hz, but more than enough to cause me pain.

Seriously though, a gong like device, or bell, being struck by a solenoid could operate very well at that frequency.

[eno_]

The problem is that the energy is in the bell ringing, not a 7hz tone. To really do a 7hz tone you would need a big pipe and a pump that could move a large amount of air into it. The saving grace is that is would not have to be very precise.

[Wumpus Hunter]

There was a South Park where Yoko Ono put together a world wide festival, and the boys amplified Kenny G or someone playing "The Brown Note". Everyone crapped their pants.

I guess you had to see it to appreciate it.

[endthematrix]

Thanks Shermy! You beat me to the post on this one. Keep it up! There is a related tech from MIT and used in vehicles and museums. Ever hear voices in you head? Well that is the point! It's quiet all around except in your ears. In a car or club several people can listen to different stations.
Audio Spotlight

The devices have been used on some U.S. ships since last summer as part of a suite of protection measures.

This way you could send signals ship2ship