Deflector shields.. sorta

[vger]

No, they won't shield anyone from bullets, but this is still really cool.

Aircraft and military manufacturer Boeing has been granted a patent on a system that is designed to prevent explosion shock-waves from harming a target.

http://www.cnet.com/news/boeing-patents-star-wars-style-force-fields/

[Sampa]

That...is...AWESOME!!!!!!!

[RainDreamer]

I like this tidbit:

"Because this system heats and ionises the air, it is eminently unsuitable for enveloping a target and being held in place for any length of time. That kind of force field is technically feasible -- physics students last year determined that an electromagnetic field could by used to hold a plasma shield in place -- but it would likely also deflect light, leaving anyone inside blind as a bat."

Not a lot of scifi shows force field shield blocking laser and light, even the two things are not so different. It would makes space battle much more interesting: Block enemies attack, but goes blind at the same time? Tactical decisions...

[vger]

I like this tidbit:Not a lot of scifi shows force field shield blocking laser and light, even the two things are not so different. It would makes space battle much more interesting: Block enemies attack, but goes blind at the same time? Tactical decisions...

I think technically they do. The point is though, just as in the IRL counterpart here, the shields only 'react' when they need to. So when a shot is blocked, you lose visibility, but only for that finite moment in time.

[RainDreamer]

Why haven't any shows try showing tactics using that fact. DX Shower frontal shield with low power shots to block visibility for tactical maneuvers! And i think this apply more to smaller crafts rather than big crafts with likely better sensors that does not relies on visual confirmation.

[Newt]

I think technically they do. The point is though, just as in the IRL counterpart here, the shields only 'react' when they need to. So when a shot is blocked, you lose visibility, but only for that finite moment in time.

Or only to that particular wavelength. If your enemy ship blasts you with an x-ray laser, only, your shields can be set up to block x-rays, only. Of course, as this currently stands, Such specificity might be impractical.

As for the Boeing design, fascinating indeed. It does not seem so much like a deflector shield from Star Trek/Wars (as I have understood them), in that it essentially detects and responds to a shock wave (some of the exact means to do this listed are interesting.... firing lasers, shooting electric arcs) to reduce it, rather then acting as a sort of passively present barrier. I wonder what in and when and whether this shall be used anytime soon.

It seems (I know little of Boeing's patent application policies, admittedly), that it may just be that some engineers thought it would be possible, did an analysis, patented it, and now will keep it available for future use when it becomes more practical and the company sees an interest. I hope they are making something.

[Scotius]

Next in line...Lightsabers!

[Tommygun]

Unless I'm not understanding this, it will only work inside an atmosphere.

It almost sounds like they are artificially creating something a little bit like an atmospheric inversion layer in the air?

[RainDreamer]

From what I understand, they are just creating changes in the medium (in this case, air) in which a shockwave travel to disrupt it and preventing it from delivering the full impact to nearby objects and damage them. Probably works along with existing active protection system on vehicles that are used against RPGs and the like which detonate them a short distance away from the vehicle, and the shockwave can still damage the occupants or other more sensitive parts of the vehicles. This will prevent the shockwave from reaching them in harmful level.

Edited March 24, 2015 by RainDreamer

[J.Random]

Looks like a load of bull to me. They may just as well sprinkle water into explosion's general direction. I don't see how ionized (over very brief period between close explosion detection and wave hitting the vehicle) air may counter that much energy.

Or simply use shaped charges to create counter-propagating shock wave.

[RainDreamer]

*shrug* it is a patent. They are just saying "I got dibs" on a concept that they may or may not develop further.

[Tommygun]

Now that I think about it, a few years back there was a company that was trying to promote a duel laser device for nonlethal crowd control.

I think the two lasers fired at different frequencies in such a way that they created a pyrotechnical display (Induced Plasma) in the air.

So the technique isn't that new, they are just tweaking it and using it in a new way and purpose.

http://www.navysbir.com/n11_3/N113-171.htm

[Darnok]

Something that can be used as radiation shield from solar flares for Orion like crafts?

[Whirligig Girl]

Why haven't any shows try showing tactics using that fact. DX Shower frontal shield with low power shots to block visibility for tactical maneuvers! And i think this apply more to smaller crafts rather than big crafts with likely better sensors that does not relies on visual confirmation.

I think in Star Trek, laser weapons are useless against starships due to the hull plating, but phasers can do damage, and shields protect against that. Of course, that's just Star Trek, no real bearing on reality.

[dryer_lint]

I have to say it.

The comments on that article are the best part.

[Scotius]

Something that can be used as radiation shield from solar flares for Orion like crafts?

It would require a lot of energy. I doubt solar panels, RTG's and fuel cells are up to the task right now. Maybe when we get lightweight nuclear reactors for spaceships...

[Darnok]

Could it be also used as nuclear power plant shielding for better safety, anti-nuke bunkers, protection from NERVA engines radiation, Moon/Mars bases shield, drones shielding, so laser won't shutdown its system?

Energy consuption when nuclear reactors are close shouldn't be a problem

[J.Random]

I'm kinda amazed both by this thread and comments on original article.

What's patented: creating an area of hot ionized air to reduce the concussive capabilities of the blast wave (the BOOM part of the explosion, only it moves faster than the BOOM you hear and may make you into a jelly).

What people think is patented: magic shield stopping bullets, rockets, lazers, nuclear radiation, solar flares and asteroids.

Edited March 24, 2015 by J.Random

[Darnok]

I'm kinda amazed both by this thread and comments on original article.

What's patented: creating an area of hot ionized air to reduce the concussive capabilities of the blast wave (the BOOM part of the explosion, only it moves faster than the BOOM you hear and may make you into a jelly).

What people think is patented: magic shield stopping bullets, rockets, lazers, nuclear radiation, solar flares and asteroids.

I am just asking questions and never said I think it is going to stop bullets.

[InterCity]

We have laser guns.

We have shields.

We just need a warp drive.

[lajoswinkler]

Looks like someone forgot about Newton's third law. For every action there's an opposite reaction.

If you act with a force on a shield, the shield will react with the equal and opposite force to you. That means that even if you aren't sprinkled by blast particles, you will get kicked into the air like a ragdoll.

Sounds like crap to me, and news designed for people whose only "scientific" knowledge comes from SF movies.

[vger]

I'm kinda amazed both by this thread --

--What people think is patented: magic shield stopping bullets, rockets, lazers, nuclear radiation, solar flares and asteroids.

I kinda mentioned in the first post that it CAN'T do that.

Concept might be usable to protect against radiation, but the power required to have it constantly "on" would probably be insane.

I think the two lasers fired at different frequencies in such a way that they created a pyrotechnical display (Induced Plasma) in the air. So the technique isn't that new, they are just tweaking it and using it in a new way and purpose.

They're using a similar concept to project 'Star Wars' holograms. Vastly improved now too. The initial prototype for this made more noise than a Jacob's Ladder.

http://www.bitrebels.com/technology/real-hologram-mid-air-projection/

Edited March 24, 2015 by vger

[Hcube]

Looks like someone forgot about Newton's third law. For every action there's an opposite reaction.

If you act with a force on a shield, the shield will react with the equal and opposite force to you. That means that even if you aren't sprinkled by blast particles, you will get kicked into the air like a ragdoll.

Sounds like crap to me, and news designed for people whose only "scientific" knowledge comes from SF movies.

Im not sure to agree with you : i don't think that Newton's 3rd law is involved here.

What the "shield" does is emit laser beams (no 3rd law, no recoil) in order to change the characteristics of the air near the vehicule. So what will happen is the air will have different temperature, pression, molecular composition (maybe the plasma could turn some O2 into O3 (ozone) for example, i'm not sure).

What happens next is that the shockwaves propagates in a different way inside this sphere of "different" air. The shockwaves can be reflected and refracted just like other kind of waves do, such as light or waves in water. This creates no recoil... (or does it? if anyone is an expert in this kind of physics please explain us what you know)

However it is highly unlikely that a shockwave will be reflected, and it will probably be refracted and change its course slightly or something like that. I still wouldn't like to be inside that humvee .

[linkxsc]

Looks like someone forgot about Newton's third law. For every action there's an opposite reaction.

If you act with a force on a shield, the shield will react with the equal and opposite force to you. That means that even if you aren't sprinkled by blast particles, you will get kicked into the air like a ragdoll.

Sounds like crap to me, and news designed for people whose only "scientific" knowledge comes from SF movies.

Actually it would probably be more like a small explosion next to your vehicle, that while transferring energy to what you're protecting, it interferes with the incoming blastwave.

You probably end up getting hit with the whole blastwave nonetheless, but not all at the same time, spreading the force out over a time. Similar to recoil systems in big guns.

[vger]

However it is highly unlikely that a shockwave will be reflected, and it will probably be refracted and change its course slightly or something like that. I still wouldn't like to be inside that humvee .

If you think about it, this is how all armor has worked since the beginning of history. It doesn't negate the energy, it just redistributes it. Instead of a focused point of impact, the energy is spread out more evenly.

Edited March 24, 2015 by vger