Microwave brain scrambler?

Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:47 pm   

Could you use amplitude modulated microwaves to disable a bad guy?

Picture this:
A robber enters a restaurant, swings a pistol around and demands money.

Secreted in the ceiling of the dining room is a microwave transmitter
equipped with a parabolic dish that can be aimed to cover any portion
of the eating area.

The manager, monitoring the situation from his office, aims the
transmitter at the robber, dials in an appropriate power
level and pushes the 'go' button. The pulses of microwave power
mimic and disrupt normal brain activity through calcium efflux,
paralyzing the bad guy until police arrive.

The science appears solid. Have a look at:

Adey, W. Ross, Neurophysiologic Effects of Radiofrequency and Microwave
Radiation, Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, V.55, #11, December, 1979

Bioelectromagnetics
Volume 5 Issue 1, Pages 71 - 78
Published Online: 19 Oct 2005

As the article states, one wouldn't need a lot of power.
In the cited experiment, 1 mW/g was sufficient to induce calcium
ion efflux in human neuroblastoma cells.

The transmitter could pay for itself in no time even if no robber appears:
* Defusing altercations between customers and wait staff
* Tailoring the customer demographic
* Providing entertainment for bored management
* Exploiting induced suggestibility to enhance performance feedback

There are some downsides such as eye cataracts, an increase in
susceptibility to leukemia and bacterial brain damage due to
violations of the blood/brain barrier. Those are hardly important when
you consider how funny it would be to watch random customers stand there,
gobsmacked as you rearrange their brain from the comfort of your office.

What do you think about this?

Thanks

--Winston

Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:52 pm   

On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:47:07 -0800, Winston <Winston_at_bigbrother.net>
wrote:


Have a good^H^H^H^Hexcellent lawyer on retainer.

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA

Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:10 pm   

Winston wrote:

[snip]


Why not just use a mass projector? They are available *now*
and aren't very expensive *or* subject to power outages,
remote disabling, etc.

Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:14 pm   

On 3/11/2010 7:10 AM, D Yuniskis wrote:

1) Evidence. Some of the targeted customers will be influential.
Even a medical tech will be able to discern 'mass impingement'
but no one will be able to prove that the manager targeted the
customer with microwaves. Better to leave the customer feeling
as if he had a stroke, rather than have the manager suffer
... criticism.

2) Delay. Mass projectors tend to cause immediate harm that can
be associated with a particular restaurant and thus a particular
manager. We don't want that association. The beauty of the
microwave transmitter is that brain infection, leukemia, cataracts
take time to develop and cannot be tracked backwards through
months or years to a specific event or person. If we cannot trust
a restaurant manager or his assistant to make these medical decisions
for us, who can we trust?

Thanks for your thoughts.

--Winston

Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:25 pm   

Winston wrote:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_denial_system



Vladimir Vassilevsky
DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant
http://www.abvolt.com

Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:28 pm   

On 3/11/2010 6:52 AM, Rich Webb wrote:

(...)


What is the customer going to say?

"You did *something* to cause me to lose voluntary muscle control!"?

Manager can just smile and say "Now what could I have done to cause
that?"

The customer's lawyer and any prospective judge are both the property
of the megacorporation that owns the restaurant anyway,
so what is the concern?


Thanks for your thoughts.


--Winston

Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:38 pm   

On 3/11/2010 7:25 AM, Vladimir Vassilevsky wrote:

http://www.bugsweeps.com/info/microwave.html

Thanks, Vladimir.

--Winston

Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:42 pm   

D Yuniskis wrote:


Or just drop a bowling ball on his head. ;-)


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:03 pm   

On 3/11/2010 7:33 AM, osr_at_uakron.edu wrote:

1) Our customer surely would not *want* to stand in front of the antenna
if he knew it existed and understood the danger. She has no choice,
because she cannot even see the transmitter. There is no evidence
it even exists.

2) The restaurant manager won't care. He knows there aren't
any 'rear lobes' to be concerned about. His employees aren't
aware it exists either. They are 'collateral damage'.
When they come down with cataracts or leukemia, too bad, yes?

3) 400 W isn't necessary. About a milliwatt at the target is all that
is required. Input power to the antenna can be minuscule because
the radiation between the antenna and customer is going to be 'near
field' for most of the distance. The real frequency would be some
harmonic of ~900 MHz anyway because of the skull's cavity resonance.


If the shape of restaurant furniture causes phase reinforcement
at the target, so much the better, right?


Audio is not necessary, or desirable. We aren't attempting to
discuss anything with the customer. Just controlling his body
and hopefully causing long term serious illness.


Sheet metal is cheap and easy to install in the ceiling.
We're only talking about a few mW of ERP, anyway.



Thanks, Steve.

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:10 pm   

On 3/11/2010 7:42 AM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

(...)


This is subtle and deniable. Bowling balls, not so much.

--Winston

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:11 pm   

Winston wrote:


What happens if he's wearing his aluminum foil beanie?


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:19 pm   

Winston wrote:


How is he going to complain?


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:21 pm   

D Yuniskis wrote:

Janitor: -1
-------------------
Total: 0



--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:26 pm   

Hi Michael,

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

The bowling ball will *crush* it!! ;-)

Bowling Ball: 1
Bad Guy: 0

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:33 pm   

Perhaps not, because nobody here would want to stand around a 2200 Mhz
source producing 400+ watts per square CM pulses at a high rate, two
meters away. The thresholds reported in the paper are in a anechonic
chamber and do not reflect a uncontrolled environment. Plus there are
signal processing issues, as your "toy" does not induce anything near
audio into the brain... And there is considerable reflection toward
the operator..

Steve