
Military police considered using controversial heat ray against D.C. protesters - vaccinator
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/16/913748800/military-police-leaders-weighed-deploying-heat-ray-against-d-c-protesters
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phkahler
>> The ADS was developed by the military some twenty years ago as a way to
disperse crowds. There have been questions about whether it worked, or should
be deployed in the first place. It uses millimeter wave technology to
essentially heat the skin of people targeted by its invisible ray.

I remember reading about that years ago. The new name is misleading. It's not
some kind of infrared beam, its microwaves. Cooking protesters doesnt sound
good though.

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staplers
Just imagine living in the neighborhood and watching your child's skin start
turning red in the living room.

Using war crime weapons on US soil (tear gas is one) is something political
leaders have no problem with.

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bsagdiyev
I’m not a smart guy, but I’m pretty sure microwaves don’t work like that
through walls.

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staplers
What about through windows? Screen doors? Front yards?

Microwaving the plants and animals in my front yard seems like a violation of
personal property. But laws are abstract and regularly unenforced so who
knows.

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bsagdiyev
Sure, but I’m still sure microwaves don’t work that way through glass and
especially not at the power these “less than lethal” weapons work at.

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liability
I'm not sure how these particular devices work, "microwave" is anything from a
meter to a millimeter which is a pretty broad range (300 MHz to 300 GHz.)
Certainly some lengths of microwaves go through glass though, otherwise
microwave ovens wouldn't have that metal mesh behind the glass window.

Also I know that microwave ovens normally don't heat glass, which suggests to
me they're either very reflective or very transparent to microwaves in the low
GHz range. I've cooked enough food in glassware to think it must be the later.
(Interestingly if you heat a small portion of glass to red hot with a torch
before microwaving it, you can melt the entire piece of glass as the oven
heats and spreads the hot spot.)

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bsagdiyev
So these operate around 95ghz, roughly, from what I can gather. Sure you’ll
get some window penetration but I still take issue with the “but the kids”
tone of the OPs argument.

I don’t agree with use of these weapons, having been on the receiving end of
RF burns accidentally myself, but pretending it’s because you care about kids
is sick and seems to be a default go-to for most things.

If I’m not being charitable in my interpretation of OP, then roast me, but I
get the feeling the sentiment isn’t particular about caring for kids and using
it as a “but... but... but...” argument.

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airstrike
It seems like NPR has changed the title to "Military Police Leaders Weighed
Deploying 'Heat Ray' Against D.C. Protesters"

EDIT: Also, why is this on HN? I'd understand it if the article were
discussing the technology, but as it stands it's just a (valid) political
piece. Sadly, the comments already resemble an ugly trainwreck.

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akvadrako
I think possible deployment of a new weapon in a new context is tech related.

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non-entity
From what I've read a concern about using these kn larger crowds is that if it
causes a panic of people feeling, it could easily turn into a stampede like
event where people are knocked down, stuck only to have longer, dangerous
exposure to the microwaves.

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chmod600
Let's say there was an "ideal" nonlethal weapon that could zap people and
immobilize them from far away with no harmful effects.

Would that be a good thing? In a way, it sounds scarier than a gun.

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bulla
Sounds perfect.

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rblatz
To whom?

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LargoLasskhyfv
What happens to your buttons, zippers, belt-locks, frames of glasses, jewelry,
piercings, and so on?

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jadell
Not to mention any medical devices you might have on or in you.

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vaccinator
A bit like this[0] but bigger?

0\.
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FIU8WZR9DNA](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FIU8WZR9DNA)

