Friday, February 15, 2008

Sonic Barrier Defense



Inferno is a "sonic barrier," a long metallic speakerbar that generates a sound made of four frequencies between 2 and 5 kilohertz. The sound itself is 125dB, which is the typical sound made by an alarm, but according to Danger Room's Sharon Weinberger, it's "the most unbearable, gut-wrenching noise I've ever heard in my life." It was a very quick exposure but Sharon says that it was a lot worse than the Pentagon pain ray. We talked with Dr. Maurice Goldman, managing director for the company in the US, about the uses and cost of these devices.

"Being a guinea pig for a sonic ray was truly a whole lot worse than being a guinea pig for the pain ray. I would happily volunteer again to be hit by the Pentagon's pain ray. It was fun, like being Bugs Bunny dancing around when Elmer Fudd tries to shoot him. I never, ever again want to be hit by the Inferno" says Sharon, but while the sensation was unbearable, she actually didn't experiment the extreme reactions that this sound will cause if you are exposed to it for a longer time: vertigo, nausea, and pain in the chest.

More via Gizmodo.

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