Boeing has been granted a patent for a
force field-like defense system, leading excited sci-fi fans to herald
the advent of something previously seen only in the realms of "Star
Wars" or "Star Trek."
Filed in 2012, the USPTO has granted the aerospace giant a patent for a "
method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc."
On
first look, it seems that they're onto something similar to "Star
Wars'" deflector shields. The patent describes a system that would
detect the shockwave from a nearby explosion and create an area of
ionized air -- a plasma field -- between the oncoming blast and the
vehicle it was protecting.
The method
works, says the patent, "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 creating a
temporary, superheated parcel of air with a laser, microwave or
electrical arc, researchers believe that the shockwave would, in theory
-- it hasn't been determined how far along Boeing's research into this
has got -- dissipate once it hit the plasma field, leaving whatever was
on the other side unaffected, or for the blast to at least be mitigated.
"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," the patent says.
However, at
this stage, Boeing's force field would be powerless to protect against
shrapnel or other debris flung out by an explosion, so the troops of the
future would still need to keep their body armor firmly strapped on.
