A Stunning Laser Light

Oct. 22 -- This week's Cybershake takes a peek at a stun gun that can stop attackers with laser light, explores if the terrorism attacks have led to a rise in online shopping, and looks at AOL's new software.

A Stunning Weapon Against Attackers

For now, stopping an armed and determined hijacker onboard an airplane often means deadly force by an undercover air marshal. But the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the Department of Justice, is testing a new "non-lethal" weapon called the "Laser Dazzler" that could one day be used in airplanes to stun a hijacker — without endangering the passengers.

It looks like a big flashlight, but it sends out a pulsating beam of green laser-light. "It's like a flashbulb going off in your eyes 20 times a second, except that it's much brighter, and much more powerful," says Michael Flanagan, president of LE Technologies in Rochester, N.Y. "And if you were at 100 feet away, all you would see is a green wall of light."

A suspect or attacker will stop in his tracks when the Laser Dazzler is shined in his face because he can't see. "If you're bathed in green light, and it's overtaking your eyesight, and you have no real means to move forward other than just pure malevolent intent, you're going to stop," says Flanagan.

The National Institute of Justice plans to complete its research on the device by the end of this year.

— Clarissa Douglas, ABCNEWS

Terrorism Boosting Online Sales?

One of the many economic outbreaks of last month's terrorist attacks against the United Staes could be a rise in online shopping. "We have seen indications that consumers are using the Internet in greater capacity than they had been before," says Elaine Rubin, chairman of Shop.org, the online group of the National Retailer Federation.

Online commerce is up almost 20 per cent compared with the week before the Sept. 11 attacks "There's this cocooning or nesting that's happening — lack of travel wanting to surround yourself and your home with comfort," says Rubin.