U.S. Military Works on Nonlethal Weapons

May 9  -- In this week's Cybershake, we look at the U.S. military's continuing push to develop weapons that don't kill opponents. Plus, we note the latest development in paper-like electronic displays.

Not Magic, But Softer Bullets

For decades, the U.S. military has been working on so-called nonlethal weapons, tools that are designed to incapacitate rather than kill. The idea, say experts, is to give troops another way of dealing with angry mobs of people without resorting to excessive use of force.

And Eric Adams, an aviation and military affairs editor for Popular Science magazine, says the military has come a long way from the imperfect "rubber bullets" that were first developed during the 1960s and 1970s.

"There's a whole new generation of nonlethal weapons," he says.

New sponge-tipped grenades, for example, are designed to fire from an infantryman's weapon, much like the early rubber bullets. And while the softer material still delivers enough force to knock down opponents, the grenades have a much lower chance of causing serious, permanent damage.

Adams says that some soldiers were equipped with the softer projectiles and used them during peace keeping missions in Kosovo.

"[An Army unit] used sponge-tip grenades to sort of quell a riot that was taking place [there]," says Adams. "And it was a very effective first use of what is essentially a very low-tech but sophisticated advancement on nonlethal weapons."

But the military is working on high-tech, nonlethal weapons, too. In particular, the Air Force is developing a "beam weapon" called the "active denial system."

"[It] uses a microwave beam to heat the water molecules in your skin to the point where it's beyond the human ability to tolerate pain," says Adams. "Basically, it's the equivalent of someone taking an electric burner and pressing it into your back."

Adams says the military is working on other types of nonlethal weapons including those that "generate sounds that the human brain cannot tolerate" and so-called malodorants. "Those are being designed to mimic the most revolting smells imaginable," says Adams.