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A researcher at the defense company Boeing has filed a patent for a sci-fi-esque cloaking device that would protect soldiers from intense shock waves generated by explosions.
The just-issued patent (No. 8,981,261) to Boeing envisions stopping shock waves using a veil of heated, ionized air. Such a "shield" would damp the force of explosions. It doesn't build an invisible wall of force, but rather makes shock waves bend around objects, just as some high-tech materials bend light and make things invisible.
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That arc heats and ionizes, or charges, particles of air. The heated air would work as a shield by changing the speed at which shock waves travel, and therefore bending them around a protected soldier, Tillotson said.Sound waves (and other wave types) propagate faster in hot air, Tillotson said. For that reason, the shock wave would speed up when it hits the heated air around the electrical discharge. As the shock wave speeds up, it would change direction slightly, or refract, away from the person or object behind the arc. That bending occurs because of the change in speed of the wave, and the shape of the area of hot air the shock wave hits determines the exact direction.
Military considerations aside, it's an interesting idea that fits conceptually within the topic of metamaterials that are being explored to bend light and sound around objects.
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by GoonDu on Thursday July 16 2015, @01:59PM
>For that reason, the shock wave would speed up when it hits the heated air around the electrical discharge. As the shock wave speeds up, it would change direction slightly, or refract, away from the person or object behind the arc. That bending occurs because of the change in speed of the wave, and the shape of the area of hot air the shock wave hits determines the exact direction.
So when it activates, people speaking to you will sound like distorted chipmunks? Sign me on.
(Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Thursday July 16 2015, @03:27PM
Hawkwind - Sonic Attack:
In case of sonic attack on your district, follow these rules
If you are making love it is imperative
To bring all bodies to orgasm simultaneously
Do not waste time blocking your ears
Do not waste time seeking a sound proofed shelter
Try to get as far away from the sonic source as possible
Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic
Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic
Use your wheels it is what they are for
Do not attempt to use your own limbs
Small babies should be placed inside the special cocoons
And should be left, if possible, in shelters
If no wheels are available metal, metal, metal, metal
Metal, metal, metal, metal
Not organic limbs should be employed whenever practical
Remember, remember, remember, remember
In the case of sonic attack survival means
Every man for himself, himself, himself, himself, himself, himself
Statistically more people survive if they think
Only of themselves, only of themselves, only of themselves
Do not attempt to rescue friends, relatives, loved ones
You have only a few seconds to escape
Use those seconds sensibly or you will inevitably die
Do not panic, do not panic
Think only of yourself, think only of yourself
Think only of yourself, think only of yourself
These are the first signs of sonic attack
You will notice small objects such as ornaments oscillating
You will notice
You will hear a distant hissing in your ears
You will feel dizzy, you will feel the need to vomit
You may be subject to fits of hysterical shouting or even laughter
These are all sign of imminent sonic destruction
Your only protection is flight
If you are less than ten years old
Remain in your shelter and use your cocoon
If I remember you can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
You can help no one else, no one else
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!