Troops in Iraq Get High-Tech Noisemaker

AP ^ | March 2, 2003

[Shermy]

NEW YORK - U.S. soldiers in Iraq have new gear for dispersing hostile crowds and warding off potential enemy combatants. It blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam.

The equipment, called a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.

The devices have been used on some U.S. ships since last summer as part of a suite of protection measures.

Now, the Army and Marines have added this auditory barrage dispenser to their arms ensembles. Troops in Fallujah, a center of insurgency west of Baghdad, and other areas of central Iraq in particular often deal with crowds in which lethal foes intermingle with non-hostile civilians.

The developer of the LRAD, American Technology Corp. of San Diego, recently got a $1.1 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to buy the gadgets for units deployed to Iraq. The Army also sent LRADs to Iraq to test on vehicles.

Some of the Iraq-bound devices will be used by members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, both recently deployed to the western province of Al Anbar, a largely barren, predominantly Sunni Muslim area.

Though not officially part of the military's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, the 45-pound, dish-shaped device belongs to a developing arsenal of technologies intended not to kill but to deter.

Another such weapon, expected to be tested in the field soon, is the Active Denial System. It seeks to repel enemies with a painful energy beam.

Carl Gruenler, vice president of military and government operations for American Technology Corp., said LRADs are "in the beginnings of being used in Baghdad," though he said he lacked "initial feedback" on how they are working.

Dubbed "The Sound of Force Protection" in a company brochure, the devices can broadcast sound files containing warning messages. Or they can be used with electronic translating devices for what amounts to "narrowcasting."

If crowds or potential foes don't respond to the verbal messages, the sonic weapon, which measures 33 inches in diameter, can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.

The devices "place distance between the Marine and their threat, giving him/her more time to sort out a measured and appropriate response," Lt. Col. Susan Noel, force protection officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said in an ATC statement announcing the contract.

Gruenler compares the LRAD's shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels; smoke detectors are in the 80 to 90 decibel range.

"Inside 100 yards, you definitely don't want to be there," said Gruenler, adding that the device is recommended for a range of 300 yards or less.

Hearing experts say sound that loud and of that high a frequency — about 2,100 to 3,100 hertz — could be dangerous if someone were exposed to it long enough.

"That's a sensitive region for developing hearing loss," said Richard Salvi, director of the Center for Hearing and Deafness at the University at Buffalo. "The longer the duration, the more serious it is."

Gruenler concedes that permanent hearing damage is possible if someone were exposed to the sound for lengthy periods.

But he said the high-pitched tone is intended to only be used for a few seconds at a time.

[Shermy]

Carl Gruenler, vice president of military and government operations for American Technology Corp. displays the Long Range Acoustic Device at the company's plant in Poway, Calif. The device to be used by American soldiers in Irag is meant to disperse hostile crowds by broadcasting an earsplitting tone.

[Shermy]

PING!

[Petronski]

Thanks for the ping.

Can anyone help me out on the science on this: I seem to recall a crowd-control device that involved super-low frequencies...something about a certain sub-20hz frequency that induced in the human nervous system (through the spinal column IIRC) a palpable sense of panic and fear.

I either saw a fascinating documentary on the topic, or I am hallucinating badly and need to be sedated. You decide. ;O)

[Petronski]

I think you will like this story.

[Travis McGee]

You heard of this San Diego outfit?

[MD_Willington_1976]

Hey they had that gadget on practical to tactical on the history channel...

I could use one of those for the university students that thinks it great to stay up listening to rap music until 03:00...

[MD_Willington_1976]

Human body resonates around 7Hz apparently...with enough power at that frequency you could make someone fall apart...

Fun stuff...

[Lou L]

So that's what the Navy used to kill all those whales!!

[CommandoFrank]

I could use one of those for the university students that thinks it great to stay up listening to rap music until 03:00...

How about at Ketchup Boy Kerry rallys???

[MD_Willington_1976]

Now your onto something...

[steplock]

This is the same techology, albeit a bit louder, as the directed audio advertising they now have in many stores.

You stand in front of a display or product and ONLY you can hear the sales pitch that is focused only on you.

What you were thinking of is the device - now hidden from public knowledge - that was published back around 1985-1990 or thereabouts in Popular Science or Science & Experiments magazine for a burglar alarm / Deterent that was low-freq sound based.

The closer a burglar or anyone came to the source, the worse they felt - the problem was, it was easy to figure that if you increased the amplitude of the waves, you greatly increased the effects.

Get too close to the amplified versions and you could have a boiled brain...or at least a bit scrambled.

It was supposed to only deter crime

[No Truce With Kings]

What? What? Did you say somthin'?

[Petronski]

I am happy to hear that something I remember with such detail is grounded in reality and not madness.

Note to self: avoid 7Hz-capable loudspeakers.

[Eala]

Don't know about your devices (though I seem to recall something about optical devices around 13 Hz being disruptive), but I can tell you from personal experience that continuous very high-volume sound has the potential to bring on unconsciousness in a few seconds (I didn't actually lose consciousness during my ~6 seconds of exposure but I don't think I was far from it).

[Eala]

This is interesting. Reminds me of the acoustic lens I built (and analyzed) for a physics course.

[VOA]

The device to be used by American soldiers in Irag is meant to disperse hostile crowds
by broadcasting an earsplitting tone.

I think we've just found the cure for cars assaulting neighborhoods with
ear-splitting music...

[Riley]

I hope that the IDF is looking at these. It's hard to throw rocks with your hands clamped over your ears.

[Riley]

I think we've just found the cure for cars assaulting neighborhoods with ear-splitting music...

YES! I hate that! And for these jackasses who drive into the apartment complex here and stand on their horns to let their friends know to come out.

I was looking into EMP for this at one point- drive through the neighborhood with your stereo blaring, your car's eletronics become toast for no apparent reason. It'd cost a fortune to fix, if it could be fixed at all...

[wolicy_ponk]

Normal speech is about 60db
Front row at a rock concert is 110 db
Human threshold of Pain is about 130 db
A jet taking off is about 140 db
Instant perforation of eardrums is 160 db

This sounds like an effective non-lethal weapon.

[swarthyguy]

Looks like the protestors at the next tradefest might be in trouble.

Unless someone comes up with a neutraliser of some kind.