By Evan Ackerman
Few things instill as visceral a reaction in people as a close lightning strike, so it’s only natural that everybody from Benny Franklin on has tried to harness it’s power, be it for good or evil. Ionatron’s Portal Denial System is a demo of sorts for the actual lightning gun that they’ve been developing, except that in the above video, they’re using the technology to guard a door.
The discharges can be tuned to be lethal or “less lethal,” and can disable vehicles by frying their electronics. Although it looks like lightning (and it pretty much is), the heart of the system is actually a laser. The laser fires femtosecond pulses, which create a superconductive plasma channel to the target, focusing the electrical discharge. So yes, it’s a lightning gun and a laser gun and a plasma gun. Want one yet?
A lightning gun is certainly not a new idea, and Ionatron has been working on their version for years, with limited results… although currently they’re testing a remote controlled lightning gun equipped anti-IED vehicle (which sounds way way WAY cooler than it looks), not much progress seems to have been made towards the promised handheld or vehicle mounted lightning gun.
The Portal Denial System is currently available only to US Government approved customers. Whatever that means, you probably can’t get it.
VIA [ Danger Room ]
