Sending Terrorists Running for the Bathroom
If the war on terror makes you sick, well, soon you won't be the only one. The Department of Homeland Security is developing a new weapon to fight the bad guys: a flashlight that makes a person throw up. It looks like an old-fashioned, if somewhat bulky, light. But don't look too closely. The bright light pulses, which vary in color and duration, induce disorientation, vertigo and nausea.
The DHS says the flashlight could be in use by 2010. Of course, terrorists could just close their eyes or wear dark glasses or run away. But if they look, watch out: barf-o-rama.
Technology Review reports that researchers are now analyzing combinations of wavelengths and light intensities to see which ones make you sickest. And this fall, they will test the device on subjects who have some experience driving the porcelain bus, Penn State University students.
- Robert Smith
6:25 PM ET | 08- 7-2007 | permalink


