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Also known as an LRAD, the recently developed long range acoustic device is a crowd-control and combatant deterrent piece of equipment recently developed by "American Technology Corp." of San Diego, California.
The device emits an earsplitting mechanical wave in a narrow beam only 33 inches in diameter. The shrill sound is approximately 150 decibels (1000 W/m²) in intensity, a level that is very capable of permanently damaging hearing.
Carl Gruenler, vice president of military and government operations for American Technology Corp., says that being within 100 yards (meters) of the device is extremely painful, but its use should be limited to 300 yards to be effectively used. He concedes that the device is powerful enough to cause permanent auditory damage, but that it is only meant to be used for a few seconds at a time.
The device, which weighs around only 45 pounds, is currently being tested in regions of Baghdad, Fallujah, and other regions of Iraq as well as by police in New York City during protests of the 2004 Republican National Convention. The device was originally intended to be used by American warships to warn incoming vessels of their arrival, but have become another piece of America's weapons intended to deter but not kill.
The LRAD is an example of non-lethal weapons being developed by the United States military. A similar device is the Active Denial System, which uses a painful energy beam to discourage would-be attackers.
There is a small German company providing systems with similar projection characteristics for large-audience jazz and classic concerts, sports/stadium audio and so on: Tonwerk/TONKUN.ST (http://www.tonwerk.com/content/e216/e226/e237/index_ger.html) (Site in German)
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