Non-Lethal Weapons from UNH

The University of New Hampshire's student newspaper, The New Hampshire, published the first of a three part series online today about UNH's Non-Lethal Technology Innovations Center. It's one of the U.S. military's "hubs" that research and create tools intended to control or combat people without killing them or causing serious harm.

The article by Derek Price points out the comic book quality of some of the devices considered at the center:

They range from heat rays that make your skin feel like it is on fire to guns that blast deafening sounds, substances that make people fall down or hold still, and holograms that project terrifying images on a battlefield.

Price also writes about a "prototype for a light-emitting ray gun designed to seek out people's retinas and temporarily blind them" and devices intended to stop high-speed chases (including "expandable foam that [can] be shot into a vehicle.")

Price quotes human rights and justice advocates who are concerned about the equipment, the potential harm it could cause, and the "tempting new set of means to assert power over people who would exercise their right to assemble and speak freely."

The Center's own website says the NTIC was "created by a grant from the Joint Non-lethal Weapons Directorate to effect the next generation of NL capabilities by identifying and promoting the development of innovative concepts, materials and technologies within the academic community." It's currently awaiting its next round of funding.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here for the NTIC website

(Photo by Kenneth Lu)