by Lonnette Harrell

Created on: January 24, 2009

New technology is the basis for future weapons that were once only a fantasy of science fiction. These aren't just smart weapons-they're brilliant. Eureka Aerospace has created a high-powered electro-magnetic system (HPEMS) that can bring cars to a screeching halt. It uses microwave energy to disable or damage a car's microprocessor, which controls the engine's functions. Presently the device is rather large-5 feet long, 3 feet wide, and it weighs a little less than 200 pounds. It can disable cars within a 50 foot range. With proper funding and more research, it is likely that within 2 years, the weapon can be reduced to 50 pounds and have a range of 600 feet. It is purported to be harmless to humans. The HPEMS will be valuable in creating effective highway blockades, as well as securing the perimeter for the refueling of oil rigs at sea.

Another exciting nonlethal future weapon, used to disrupt and neutralize a threat is the Active Denial System (ADS). It uses a 95 GHz wave to produce an "intolerable heat sensation" that feels like an intense sunburn, which immediately repels the target. This weapon adds new meaning to the phrase "reach out and touch someone." Tested on hundreds of subjects, it is also reported to be safe to humans. However, one service member of the 820th Security Forces Group, based at Moody Air Force Base, in Georgia, received 2nd degree burns. The long term effects of the use of such weapons has yet to be discovered. Decades of research indicate that the effect is expected to end, once the person steps out of the beam, and the damage is not supposed to be lasting, as long as the beam does not exceed a certain time. While the specified time is classified, it is reported to be in the range of seconds, rather than minutes. The Department of Energy is interested in ADS, as a way to repel intruders from nuclear facilities, but more testing is needed before it can be implemented. The ADS is also likely to be helpful in protecting embassies, and military installations.

Inspired by Star Wars weapons, Peter Bitar, chief developer and president of Xtreme Alternative Defense Systems, has created a nonlethal directed energy device called the StunStrike. In the most basic explanation, it fires a bolt of lightning. It delivers voltage powerful enough to temporarily incapacitate muscles. Bitar, of Arab descent, feels that it would be particularly effective in the Middle East, as many people there are deathly afraid of lightning. The weapon I observed on

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