Army Creates a Directed Lightning Bolt Weapon 214
Sparticus789 writes "Army researchers at Picatinny Labs in New Jersey have developed a prototype weapon which uses a directed lightning bolt to destroy vehicles and unexploded ordinance. The weapon works on the premise that 'A target, an enemy vehicle or even some types of unexploded ordnance, would be a better conductor than the ground it sits on.' Are we one step closer to C&C:Red Alert Tesla coils?"
Oh god I want one! (Score:4, Funny)
Darwin Awards (Score:5, Funny)
Re:it's "Ordnance" (Score:4, Funny)
Who says they're not going to destroy some legislation with this puppy?
Re:They've been trying this for years (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Resonant fields (Score:4, Funny)
Re:it's "Ordnance" (Score:5, Funny)
My guess is that they will first go after the Declaration of Independence.
Re:it's "Ordnance" (Score:4, Funny)
Ordinances can be conducive to a great many things.
Re:They've been trying this for years (Score:5, Funny)
Lightning Weapon?
Just stand stand where the weapon previously struck and you're virtually impervious.
Re:Bad summary and old news (Score:5, Funny)
What a terrible fucking summary. Also, this has been all over the web for nearly a week.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolaser
It works by ionizing the air with a UV laser to create a path of lowered resistance for the arc to follow.
Yes and the headline stinks too, to be in any kind of sync with the usual /. hyperbole it should have been: "Army, inspired by id Soft's DOOM, creates it's own BFG9000!".
Re:it's "Ordnance" (Score:0, Funny)
Re:it's "Ordnance" (Score:5, Funny)
ordinance = has the potential to cause untold mayhem, destruction and loss of life
ordnance = just an explosive ammunition
WTF BFG is plasma (Score:0, Funny)
Idiot! The BFG is a plasma weapon. I think you're referring to the lightning gun. Though if you meant to do that in a truly innaccurate /. fashion then you succeeded... but then again so did the original article title and summary so your point is redundant.
Re:lightning to stop cars ? (Score:4, Funny)
"Not in net joules, though. Z-machine does, what, about 10MJ? Strong lightning bolts are measured in GJ."
Sorry to nitpick, I know you clearly must not be as versed in science as I, but I must inform you that lightning is actually measured in gigawatts, sir. 1.21 of them, to be exact.