non-lethal
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China has a microwave pain weapon of its own
The US may never have used its microwave pain gun in combat, but that isn't stopping China from exploring the concept of non-lethal force. Local manufacturer Poly has unveiled the WB-1, a millimeter-wave weapon that heats the water under your skin (much like the US' Active Denial System) to deliver intense agony without injury. It currently works at a relatively short range of about 262 feet, but extra power can bump that up to 0.6 miles -- if you know where to shoot, you could cause misery from afar. It's reportedly meant to be used on the high seas, where it could enforce China's territorial claims without the need to capture or destroy wayward vessels.
Boeing tests microwave missile that knocks out electronics, represents our worst nightmare (video)
Forget bombs or the robopocalypse. In our minds, the most fearsome weapon is the one that disables our gadgets. That's what makes Boeing's newly tested Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) scarier than most projectiles. The missile bombards targets underneath with microwaves that shut down computers, power systems and just about anything electrical in their path. Thankfully, CHAMP's invisible payload arrives in discrete bursts and arguably makes it the world's most advanced (and likely expensive) non-lethal weapon: the prototype can target multiple individual buildings without ever having to detonate and hurt someone. Boeing is still developing CHAMP in a multi-year program and doesn't have guarantees that it will become military ordnance, which gives us enough time to accept that saving lives is far, far more important than the risk we'll have to stop fiddling with our technology.
Encrypted Text: Lifestyle of the Pandaria rogue
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. After writing Encrypted Text for nearly four years now, I have gotten into the groove of writing about how rogues will handle upcoming expansions. The upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion looks to repeat most of the last two expansions' changes: a complete poison revamp, talent trees slashed to the core, and no news on our missing Swirly Ball. Wait, Swirly Ball is back? Everything I know about rogues just went out the window. The developers avoid implementing major class changes via patches, preferring to deploy them via expansions. There's a natural separation between expansions that softens the blow of redesign a class mechanic. While rogues weren't fundamentally altered during Cataclysm's patches, there are already several changes brewing for us in Mists. We're gaining more raid utility, dropping a few outdated mechanics, and becoming more flexible with our abilities. How will these changes affect your day-to-day lifestyle?
Encrypted Text: Rogue poisons dramatically redesigned in Mists of Pandaria
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. Throw out everything you know about rogue poisons. No, we need to go deeper than that. Throw out everything you know about rogues altogether. In the past few days, we've seen more blue posts on the official rogue forums than we'd seen since Cataclysm's launch. Poisons have been at the heart and soul of the rogue kit from day one. Even though parts of the poison system have changed over the years, the general concept has always remained the same. Let me blow your mind: In Mists, you can have two poisons on each of your weapons at once. Let me do it again: All poison proc rates will be percentage-based. And a third time: Poisons are no longer applied to your individual weapons but to both weapons at once. What does it even mean to put your poisons on both hands at once? What in the world am I supposed to write this column about if nobody's asking which hand to put Deadly Poison on any more? I'm going to slip and tell some new rogue that IP/DP is the best, and he's going to laugh and call me an old man.
Sonic Blaster is defeated by fashionable noise-canceling 'head shield'
The Long Range Acoustic Device (or Sonic Blaster, for us simple people) is among the Navy's proudest feats of warfare engineering and a favored tool of law enforcement agencies. The non-lethal amp pumps out an ultra-powerful beam of sound that deters baddies from coming within 82 feet of its position. Unless, of course, those baddies decide to act fresh and bring one of these sound insulating, double-glazed head shields, which will let the wearer stand right in front of a Sonic Blaster without losing his hearing for all eternity. Created by the BBC's Bang Goes the Theory show, the head shield is a perfect complement to your favorite hoodie and casual pair of jeans for a stylish riot out on the town.
TASER X3 triple-shot stunner arrives, subdues population
Right on schedule, Taser's launching the TASER X3 "force option," which allows "peace officers" the ability to shoot up to three probes in quick succession in order to "incapacitate" their "targets." Not only that, but the X3 can display a "warning arc" when loaded, allowing officers to "gain voluntary compliance" and "avert use-of-force" by putting on a light show. When it comes time to take down that unruly Trustafarian, however, it'll get done with style -- the probes are aimed with laser sights, and the new Pulse Calibration System actively monitors the perp to deliver a Precision Shaped Pulse(TM) that provides "consistent effects." Yeah, we want one. Video after the break.
Russians working up non-lethal water jet guns
Yeah, using Avurt's IM-5 launcher and Taser International's C2 stun gun sure seem like more enjoyable ways to injure-but-not-kill the baddies, but there's a certain novelty attached to the vision of an uber-powerful Super Soaker. Apparently, a team of Russians are toying with the idea of crafting a non-lethal weapon based around "electro-hydrodynamical effects." In layman's terms, what we're looking at is a device that relies on water jets to bring down enemies whilst minimizing long-term damage, and while we're not up to speed on all the mathematics that prove this valid, it sounds pretty plausible. And hey, it's not like ammunition wouldn't be readily available in many parts of the world. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Wired, image courtesy of iSoaker]
Avurt's IM-5 launcher provides serious personal security
Mace is so last century. These days, you're not really lookin' out unless you're packing a C2 stun gun, or now, an Avurt IM-5. This pistol-like device can reportedly launch "up to five PAVA filled projectiles at attackers up to 40-feet away," and will cause an assailant's "nose, throat, and eyes to burn." Notably, this non-lethal weapon has never been associated with a death, and comes in black, blue, red, or pink color schemes. The IM-5 is available for $299, which will buy you the weapon, ten "practice rounds," a carrying case and a training DVD, and any orders placed now should ship out by the month's end.[Via Gizmodiva]
"Anti-violence" electrode shock gun brings the (non-lethal) pain
Although we've seen a variety of different non-lethal weapons come and go, all that choice has led to a dilemma for the riot-trooper on the go: what to pick? Skunkbombs? The laser rifle? The Taser shotgun? Techwise is hoping to eliminate all that decision-making with their "anti-violence" electrode shock gun -- a pistol-shaped not-a-weapon which accommodates cartridges for virtually every type of non-lethal force you can imagine: a 30KV pulse charge that can incapacitate a person up to 3 meters away, rubber bullets, paint capsules for marking offenders in a crowd, an "electric stick" stun gun mode, and a pepper cartridge, which Techwise claims causes extreme discomfort at up to 5 meters. Our favorite, though, has got to be the ultra-bright Xenon light used for "giddying," or assaulting a person's senses to make them dizzy and lightheaded -- something that sounds to us like they expect you to run up to the bad guys and shine a flashlight in their eyes. We'll stick with the pain gun, if you don't mind.[Via RedFerret]
Taser International unveils Taser C2 Personal Protector
While we've yet to hear of any mishaps or hijinks, the folks at Taser International are apparently braving the crowds at CES to show off their latest bit of non-lethal weaponry, the Taser C2 Personal Protector. Available in your choice of black, silver, blue, or pink, the C2 has a range of up to 15 feet for long-range attacks and can also be used as a contact stun device if you fail to get the jump on your attacker. Those looking to trick out their Taser beyond the basics can also opt for a model with an integrated laser sight, although many of the other options available on higher-end Tasers, like the Taser Cam interface, have been eliminated from the C2 to keep costs down, with the base model starting at just $299. According to Taser, you should be able to get your hands on one sometime this April, though you'll have to wait 'till you complete a background check before they'll give you the code to activate it. [Thanks, Richard D]
