It’s like something out of Star Wars.
The good guy is chasing the bad guy. But after a while, the good guy falls further and further behind–panting and gasping for air–while the bad guy is nearly out of sight ahead.
But wait!
The good guy pulls his StunRay gun (of submission) from his holster–aims, and shoots.
The weapon then emits a beam so powerful that it incapicitates the bad guy, who stops in his tracks and falls face forward like the fool he is.
Now this can really happen thanks to the StunRay, a new weapon by Genesis Illumination.
Via Wired, “The StunRay gun emits a beam so powerful that it can literally blind.”
The StunRay emits a controlled swath of white light, which claims to be about 10 times more intense than an aircraft landing light. (The company’s website says it is bright enough to read a newspaper a mile away).
Using bright light to incapacitate your foes is an old military idea — weaponeers have been trying it out since World War II, at least. Newer models tend to be laser-based, like the “dazzlers” being used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan, as well as the Neodymium Yttrium Aluminium Garnet laser envisioned by BAE Systems to blind pesky pirates at sea.
The StunRay is a little different; it uses bright light, not a laser. Apparently, the ray works by sending the optical nerves into overdrive because of surplus stimulus to the retina. Todd Eisenberg, the laser’s inventor, told Scientific American it was the “inverse of blindness.”
Physically, the gun is small and light, weighing about as much as a bag of flour. The width of the beam itself is adjustable so the weapon wielder can change its severity based on the threat level. It’s also got an infrared illumination tool for covert surveillance operations at night.
According to the product’s patent claim, the StunRay gun causes, “disorientation, reduced cognitive abilities or temporarily loss of fine and gross motor skills.”
Is this the new mace?
Cool.
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