Shooting to Stun

It sounds like science fiction — a heat ray that can zap rioting protesters, forcing them to flee without inflicting injuries. But the U.S. military’s Active Denial System — which shoots a beam of electromagnetic radiation, causing its target to experience a burning sensation — is just the latest attempt to make crowd control more effective yet less lethal. Unlike traditional brute-force methods of dispersal — such as rubber bullets and batons, which can maim or even kill — a new wave of hi-tech crowd-control gadgets promises to keep the peace without causing casualties.

PHASR
The Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response uses laser beams to cause temporary blindness. The rifle, under development by the U.S. military, could be used to stun violent rioters, or dazzle a driver who fails to stop at a roadblock.

Long Range Acoustic Device
Used by U.S. police, troops in Iraq and even cruise ships trying to scare off pirates, this souped-up megaphone blasts out a beam of high-pitched, piercing sound. Anyone caught in its path will be incapacitated by an intense headache.

Taser Remote Area Denial
Want to stop rioters rampaging through your embassy? This Star Trek-like force field, which could be ready for deployment by 2008, can be set up in doorways, to deliver a shock to uninvited guests who try to cross its electrified barrier.