Paranoid about future unrest after this summer's riots in the UK, the British went and developed a laser rifle which can project a wall of light and temporarily blind a pack of rioters.
According to the UK Telegraph getting blasted with the Orwellian light is akin to staring at the sun.
The laser, resembling a rifle and known as an SMU 100, can dazzle and incapacitate targets up to 500m away with a wall of light up to three metres squared. It costs £25,000 and has an infrared scope to spot looters in poor visibility.
From a tech perspective, this sounds awesome. But, um, from a human perspective, this is a tool which could be potentially misused in a variety of ways. I wouldn't be shocked if we hear about some power-crazed cop going a little too far with this thing. [The Telegraph]
Image via dmuth/Flickr
DISCUSSION
This is just disgusting. If a civilian shines a laser into someone's eyes they are a felon. If a cop does it to a person exercising their First Amendment RIGHT it is just fine. Who is to say these things will be constantly calibrated? I see this making some people permanently blind. The acoustic weapons are in the same boat as this. I would rather be shot in the head and die instantly than to be shocked to death, go deaf, or go blind. It's a good thing that a person can easily buy glasses specifically to filter out laser emissions of a certain wavelength. Technology always winds up in the hands of the control freaks and is used to enslave humanity.