DARPA Developing Defensive Plasma Shield 318
galactic_grub writes "According to an article at New Scientist, DARPA is developing a plasma shield that would allow troops to stun and disorientate enemies. The system will use a technology known as dynamic pulse detonation (DPD), which involves producing a ball of plasma with an intense laser pulse, and then a supersonic shockwave within the plasma using another pulse. The result is a gigantic flash and a loud bang in a the air. 'The company has also pitched a portable laser rifle, which would be lethal, to the US Army. It would weigh about fifteen kilograms, would have a range of more than a mile, and could have numerous advantages over existing rifles - better accuracy and the ability to hit a moving target at the speed of light.'"
Lasers? (Score:5, Funny)
"disorientate"? (Score:4, Funny)
ASMD Shock Rifle (Score:5, Funny)
New products (Score:2, Funny)
Ancient Chinese Secret, Huh? (Score:4, Funny)
So.... they've invented fireworks, then. Finally. I mean, the Chinese military has had access to fireworks technology since the freakin' Han Dynasty! Glad to see our boys in blue are getting with the times!
Woah (Score:2, Funny)
Not as much as I was disorientated by that spelling...
Re:"disorientate"? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Lasers efficient at killing? (Score:1, Funny)
Knowing is half the battle (Score:5, Funny)
Bah! I heard about this years ago (Score:1, Funny)
Probably involves phase reversal of the warp coils or some other commonly used engineering technique.
I wish I could remember where I heard about this...
TDz.
Re:Lasers efficient at killing? (Score:4, Funny)
You are screwed.
Rifle or field oven? (Score:3, Funny)
"Comrade, I see fireflies in the woods and smell burnt popcorn."
"Prepare for battle, the running dog Americans are here!"
Misread... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:"disorientate"? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I'd better get one, too (Score:5, Funny)
Better buy stock in Highly polished mirrors (Score:4, Funny)
Re:"disorientate"? (Score:3, Funny)
I recall a Slashdot post from a while back in which a British citizen poked fun at our American use of the word "burglarized." A burglar burgles! There's no need for the extra syllable! (The reason I remember this was the humorous follow-up of, "You're right; we apogle.")
Seeing a word in the dictionary doesn't automatically make it a good word. Sure, it's in use, sure some group of people decided it should be put there, but that doesn't make it any less foolish. Language is a living, growing thing, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't prune out the rotten bits.
I, for one, don't want to give the Brits any more ammo for their merciless mockery.
Re:Knowing is half the battle (Score:5, Funny)