Boeing patents laser force field. How does it work? (+video)
It sounds like something out of Star Wars, but the 'method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc' Boeing just patented could be the future of military defense.
The aerospace and defense company Boeing just earned a patent for a "method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc," which is essentially a laser force field. The design, reminiscent of something George Lucas could have dreamed up, is the first of its kind and has the potential to change modern warfare.
The concept behind Boeing’s force field, which would most likely be used to protect military vehicles, is to detect an explosion and then protect against the potentially fatal overpressure waves generated by a detonation of high explosives. It will not protect against shrapnel from explosions – that remains the job of the vehicle's armor.
"Such embodiments as described above may reduce the energy density of the shockwave by creating a second medium in the path of the advancing shock wave that reflects, refracts, absorbs and deflects at least a portion of the shockwave," the patent reads.
Recommended: May the fourth be with you: 5 Star Wars technologies that are becoming a reality According to Popular Science, the product uses a sensor to detect an explosion and estimate the time and location of the blast. Then the signal from the sensor would trigger a laser, or a blast of electric or microwave energy, to heat up a section of air or water to create a plasma shield between the vehicle and the explosion. The plasma would absorb shockwaves from the explosion.
Despite these limitations, the technology could potentially be used to protect barracks and other buildings from explosions, which would lower the damage done in attacks. Theoretically it could also be used to shield airplanes, which would make sense giving Boeing’s line of work in both military and commercial aircraft, according to Science Mic.
One challenge to be overcome before the technology can be marketed for military use is detecting blasts of different magnitudes. Lightly armored vehicles, such as Humvee, would need protection against smaller blasts, while larger vehicles would need protection only against larger blasts, as they are built to withstand a certain amount of shock. Boeing plans for vehicles equipped with the force field to have a database of bomb explosion signatures so that the system knows how to react.
Boeing frequently acquires patents to protect its intellectual property, but does not necessarily explore each potential new product. So far there is no set date for when this piece of the sci-fi world will make it into the present.
March 25th, 2015, 12:58
American Patriot
Re: Force Field Patented
Boeing Gets the Go Signal to Manufacture “Star Trek” – Like Plasma Deflector Field that Mr. Spock Would be Proud of
Boeing has been approved an exclusive right for a vigor field-like protection scheme, which leads eager sci-fi fanatics to bear the news of the arrival of somewhat we have only witnessed before in the kingdom of “Star Wars” or “Star Trek.”
At first, it looks like they’re up for somewhat comparable to “Star Wars'” deflector guards. The exclusive right illustrates a method that would sense the trembling from a near outburst and make a vicinity of ionized air acknowledged as a plasma field, among the approaching explosion and the automobile it was shielding.
The patent said that the system works, “by heating a selected region of the first fluid medium rapidly to create a second, transient medium that intercepts the shockwave and attenuates its energy density before it reaches a protected asset.”
By making a momentary, greatly heated packet of air with a laser, microwave or electrical arch, investigators consider that the trembling would, in presumption — it hasn’t been known how faraway Boeing’s study into this has obtained – disperse when it reached the plasma field, leaving anything that’s on the other unmoved part, or for the explosion to lessen.
The patent said, “Explosive devices are being used increasingly in asymmetric warfare to cause damage and destruction to equipment and loss of life. The majority of the damage caused by explosive devices results from shrapnel and shock waves.”
On the other hand, at this phase, Boeing’s force ground would be ineffective to defend upon shrapnel or further wreckage tossed away by a blast, so the crowds of the upcoming would still require to maintain their body shield tightly strapped on.
The plasma field would also be momentary, therefore the requisition for detectors to trigger it when an explosion is perceived so the kind of all-inclusive force field we’re common with from the shows seems to be a whilst off.
Investigators continue in going back to the affluent line of modernization and that’s science fiction, with truck-mounted lasers and operational tractor beams amongst latest discoveries that would not seem like out of place in a distant galaxy.
March 25th, 2015, 13:00
American Patriot
Re: Force Field Patented
Boeing granted patent for world's first real-life 'force field'
The technology is reminiscent of the deflector shields popularized in the world of 'Star Trek.'
There are several technologies from the world of "Star Trek" that perhaps seem forever relegated to science fiction: transporters, warp drives, universal translators, etc. But if Boeing has its way, you won't find deflector shields on that list. The multinational corporation has been granted a patent for a real life force field-like defense system that is reminiscent of the Trekkie tech most famous for keeping Enterprise safe from phaser blasts and photon torpedoes, reports CNN.
The patent, originally filed in 2012, calls the technology a "method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc." Though not exactly the same thing as featured in "Star Trek," the concept isn't that far off from its fictional counterpart. Basically, the system is designed to create a shell of ionized air — a plasma field, essentially — between the shockwave of an oncoming blast and the object being protected.
According to the patent, it works "by heating a selected region of the first fluid medium rapidly to create a second, transient medium that intercepts the shockwave and attenuates its energy density before it reaches a protected asset."
The protective arc of air can be superheated using a laser. In theory, such a plasma field should dissipate any shockwave that comes into contact with it, though its effectiveness has yet to be proven in practice. The device would also include sensors that can detect an oncoming blast before it makes impact, so that it wouldn't have to be turned on at all times. It would only activate when needed, kind of like how a vehicle's airbag is only triggered by an impact.
Boeing's force field would not protect against shrapnel or flying projectiles — it is only designed to guard against a shockwave — so it isn't an all-encompassing shield. But if it works, it will still offer improved protection against dangers commonly met on modern battlefields.
"Explosive devices are being used increasingly in asymmetric warfare to cause damage and destruction to equipment and loss of life. The majority of the damage caused by explosive devices results from shrapnel and shock waves," reads the patent.
So the world of "Star Trek" may not be so far off after all. Maybe next, we'll have subspace communications and Vulcan mind melds. The line between science and science fiction is becoming increasingly blurred indeed.
'Star Wars'-style force field earns Boeing new patent
Boeing has been granted a patent for a shock wave-deflecting force field, similar to the one seen in "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" during the Battle of Naboo, according to CNET.
That plasma field would differ in temperature, density and/or composition with the idea being that the plasma will absorb, reflect, refract or deflect a portion of the shockwave.
The major downside to the technology is that it won't protect against direct hits.
Click here to read more on this story at CNET.com.
