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Boeing patents force field defense technology
Star Wars' Gungans might have been annoying as heck, but at least they got something right.
Boeing has just obtained the patent for something straight out of Star Wars: force fields that can shield targets from explosion shock waves.
The patent, which was filed in May 2012, is entitled “Method and system for shockwave attenuation via elctromagnetic arc.”
According to the patent:
Presented is a system and method for attenuating a shockwave propagating in a first medium by detecting a shockwave-producing event, determining a direction of the shockwave relative to a protected asset, and interposing a second, transient medium, different from the first medium, between the shockwave and the protected asset such that a shockwave produced by the event contacts the second medium and is attenuated in energy thereby prior to reaching the protected asset. The second medium may be formed by rapidly heating a region of the first medium so that the second medium differs from the first medium in at least one of temperature, density and composition.
For the people struggling to understand the description, Steve Dent, associate editor at Engadget, explained it simply: “The idea is to harness electrical energy to stop or slow down the shock waves created by explosions, which can do just as much damage as shrapnel.”
The device won’t protect the target from any direct impact from the explosives or shrapnel, but it will protect it from the effects of shock waves. It does this by creating a sort of buffer that can reflect, absorb, and deflect at least a portion of the shock wave.
You could almost forgive Jarjar Binks for being so annoying. Or maybe not. — TJD, GMA News
