From: Steve Schear <schear@lvdi.net>
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 13:50:52 +0800
To: Robert Hettinga <cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Fwd: Set Phasers to Stun.
In-Reply-To: <v04002736b090e9185a7c@[139.167.130.248]>
Message-ID: <v03102806b0918601affc@[208.129.55.202]>
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>One attempt to overcome the limitations of tasers uses a stream of
>liquid that hits a victim with a 10 000-volt charge. This causes painful
>muscle spasms in the victim. But the liquid can split into droplets,
>breaking the electrical connection, and is hard to aim. Herr's invention
>uses lasers to generate intense beams of ultraviolet light.
>
>These create a path of ionised air down which precisely modulated
>electrical current is sent. The currents can be manipulated to cause
>painful contractions, stun a victim painlessly, or induce a heart
>attack. It has a far longer range than the taser-over 100 metres-and the
>beam can penetrate clothing. The phaser can also fire many shots before
>it needs reloading.
>
>Using ultraviolet light avoids legal restrictions on weapons that blind
>with laser light, since it would take several minutes to damage the
>retina with the wavelength of light used by the device.
>
>A hand-held version of the phaser is not yet available because the
>argon-fluoride discharge-pumped excimer laser it uses is as big as a
>kitchen table. Herr is hoping that others will find ways to make his
>device smaller and more powerful, as well as improve its range. He says
>that any technically competent person would be able to build a phaser.

I can't fathom why the PTO issued the patent.  This technology is well known in military circles (I'm sure I saw an article in Aviation Leak and Space Technology about this a few years back) for downing planes and even missiles. 

A shortcoming of the proposed approach, as noted above, is the size and cost for such lasers.  However, if one assumes that some portions of the system are single use, like cartridges and bullets in firearms, it might be possible to safely employ small explosive charges to pump a laser (either an excimer or FEL, free electron laser), either chemically or electrically.  See : http://www.cdsar.af.mil/kopp/apjemp.html

--Steve

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