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http://www.atcsd.com/site/content/view/15/32/ Known to have been used at the G20, probably other events as well.

Uh, according to TFA, the device produces warning tones at the loudest level of 151db, at one meter distance.. Since they're designed for crowd control at a considerable distance, it's VERY unlikely that you're going to get anywhere near those levels at 50 meters away.

Since people far too stupid or ignorant manage to put almost those maximum noise levels millimeters away from their ears using MP3 players, yeah, I'd say this is one case where some form of regulation is necessary, which is pretty damn pathetic, since I am against all forms of regulation when, if common sense would prevail, would not be necessary.

http://www.atcsd.com/site/content/view/15/32/

Known to have been used at the G20, probably other events as well.

These sound like HSS speakers, which use ultrasonic carrier waves to demodulate sound when the frequencies come into contact with flesh and bone.

http://www.atcsd.com/site/

And friend of mine has a couple of these speakers. We recently used them at an art opening to beam the music of the primes into people's heads (playing the digital root of each prime number through a hexatonic scale, rests in the music were created by the occurrence of the primes in the digital-roots matrix we used to develop our own unique prime number sieve).

I believe this has already been done: http://www.atcsd.com/site/content/view/13/29/

the HyperSonic Sound technology. not a laser, just highly-directed ultrasound. I read about this a few years back in some science magazine (pop sci maybe?). Not only can you point it at someone and have them be the only ones who can hear it, but if pointed at a suitable surface (glass, stone, etc), it will emit sound from that point. imagine a surround sound speaker system contained in a small box, pointing these ultrasonic beams of sound at different parts of the room. You could imagine a completely continuous distribution of sound. goodbye 7.1, hello infinity.1.

neat stuff.

here is a Forbes article from 2003 with a better description of the technology. apparently it relies on an acoustic phenomenon where two different frequencies interact, yielding two new frequencies where one is the sum of the first two and the other is the difference. it also mentions their intended applications (imagine a coke machine beaming sounds of fizzy cola into your brain as you walk by...)

http://www.atcsd.com/lrad.html

Remember the story about the cruise ship that averted would-be attackers with one of these? Just camp out in front of his house about 200 meters away and every time he pokes his head out blast him with it. You aren't vandelizing anything and he is getting a taste of his own medicine. There is a built in mp3 player; perhaps you could use this device to broadcast a message of peace at 150 dB (about twice as loud as a commercial jet) or maybe just a Mars Volta CD.

Despite the potential fun in blasting someone with this, I think you should first talk to the neighbor and try to understand what drove him to spend $800 on a teen deterrent. Be reasonable and try to imagine the situation if the roles were reversed.

If you summon the police again, show the data sheet on the mosquito device to the officer so that they understand that not everyone can hear it. If the officer can't hear it, surely he/she will get someone younger to come and check it out. The drawback is that the old man might turn the device off in the meantime.

Well if these guys http://www.atcsd.com/ hadn't sold out to the military you could send noise cancelling sound back to the source. Unfortunately for us we'll probably not see this technology for a long while. I've been tracking it for around 3 years. Note that my use of selling out is an assumption because I know the Navy is using it, And second it was purported to do all sorts of things and suddenly I haven't heard a peep from them or any new technologies using it. In Fact Clarion has licensed it but nothing from them either. I read somewhere that soda machines in Hong Kong were using it on a test basis.. but even that rumor is 2 years old.

All you need to do is point this system at his home: LRAD. This is the same technology they use to diperse rioters.

Common guys, "mysterious" force fields? if ed's had bothered to google the facts there wouldn't be a need for this post(same for that ABL article- currently neutered as a tech demonstrator).

Wired, aug/2002
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,54641, 00.html

SecDef's Force Transformation
http://www.oft.osd.mil/

more info on Trophy(Rafael)
http://www.defense-update.com/products/t/trophy.ht m

similar effort using AESA(Raytheon's Quick Kill)
http://www.edefenseonline.com/default.asp?func=art icle&aref=02_14_2006_OM

info on AESA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Electronically _Scanned_Array

the need for such a system(fuel cost IS a factor but it's a fixed cost. See fob.gov
SP0600-06-R-0033 for example):
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2004 /Dec/SurvivalInCombat.htm

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this system used by Carnival cruise lines:
http://www.atcsd.com/lrad.html
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/ 2005-11-07-cruise-blast_x.htm

"mysterious" force fields? LOL. I'm moving my slashdot bookmark next to collegehumor and dumpalink.

Press release about a consumer version.

There's another company making these "parametric loudspeakers" now. We're going to be seeing a lot of these things, since they offer a new, annoying way to deliver ads in public spaces.

The Company that makes LRAD technology is called American Technology Corporation.

Looks like they are losing money but small enough that something like this might cause the stock to jump!

Full disclosure: I'm in.

Watch and learn, kids. Next, the SPAM will start going out, touting the stock (not from me!). In a couple months, the bottom will drop out. But between now and then, there's money to be made.

You could use this to make an array of "Beams" pointing to the corresponding area you want different channels of sound to be heard. It works by using ultrasonic sound (which is much more directional) to create interference (the signal we want) in a given area. Interesting technology.

When do we get the focused sound waves beamed directly into our head?

Oh, that? You can pick that up right here. :)

Five years ago I visited the lab at American Technology Corp. I can vouch for the fact that HSS does indeed work. I was even able to meet with Elwood Norris, the inventor, to discuss it.

At that time, the emitter they demonstrated was an early prototype, yet the sound was very clear and not the least bit annoying. The only downside I witnessed was that it was unable to reproduce low-frequency sounds.

It's quite spooky. Sound can be projected to a distant wall and it sounds like it is coming from that wall.

The sound is sent along a "flashlight" beam of sound, so it does spread, but in a cone shape, not a laser-like coherent beam. I believe they can now create a more pin-point focus by separating the functional parts of the emitter.

Some have misunderstood the technology and think that no one else outside the beam or focus will hear the sound. This is not true. Those outside the beam will hear the sound if it is reflected off objects in the beam itself. However, the volume is greatly reduced.

So, if two folks were walking beside each other, the person in the beam would hear it and the person not in the beam would hear the reflected sound, but at a much lower volume.

Absolutely fascinating technology. May qualify as a disruptive technology.

Actually, this is already being implamented by the US Military in Iraq. It is used at checkpoints to speak to aproaching parties. And the Military has signed a new contract with American Technology for $1.1 million to deliver these LRAD's (long range acoustice divices) to the Marines. "LRAD is a breakthrough long-range hailing and warning, directed acoustic device that is designed to determine intent, change behavior, and support various rules of engagement. With LRAD, a sentry can issue a focused verbal challenge with instructions in excess of 300 hundred yards, and follow up with a warning tone to cause behavior change. Recorded messages can be selected and delivered over LRAD in multiple languages."[from an American Technology press release. regarding this contract] So far this is the biggest contract the company has and most likely, for years to come, the most lucrative applications will come from military applications, both as defense and as weapons. But ultimatly, comercial application will exceed the military in the technology's application and source of revenue for ATC.

"We are focused on achieving high volume applications featuring the unique benefits of HSS directed sound. --"To the Shareholders of American Technology Corp." Business Wire, March 25, 2002

I don't own the patents to any of this technology, but what about using Hypersonic Sound transmitters to transmit audio ads directly to our ears. This could be done using GPS to direct exactly where the beams should go. The GPS tracking system could then use RFID to derive not only location, but demographic information, preferences, and such to direct target advertising to individuals. Hows that sound?

http://www.atcsd.com/tl_hss.html

(Includes data sheet, white paper, FAQ, etc...)

For those who are interested in things such as white papers on the technology, go to American Technology Corp. website. I used to work there... the article does not do it justice.

There is a company that is already licensing products using the interaction of multiple high frequency inaduible waves to produce focused audible sound.

This is not new at all. American Technology Corporation already has such a system called Hyper Sonic Sound (HSS). Their site also shows that they have filed for patents as early as July 1996 (first patent allowed August 1998). I hate to break everyone's excitement, but the other thing about this company is that they don't manufacture anything themselves: they only license the OEMs (at least for HSS). It is interesting to note that one of their current contracts is to implement and test HSS technology for use on Navy Ships. I first heard of this technology about 5 years ago, to be honest, I don't know why more hasn't been seen of it.

This is not new at all. American Technology Corporation already has such a system called Hyper Sonic Sound (HSS). Their site also shows that they have filed for patents as early as July 1996 (first patent allowed August 1998). I hate to break everyone's excitement, but the other thing about this company is that they don't manufacture anything themselves: they only license the OEMs (at least for HSS). It is interesting to note that one of their current contracts is to implement and test HSS technology for use on Navy Ships. I first heard of this technology about 5 years ago, to be honest, I don't know why more hasn't been seen of it.

This is not new at all. American Technology Corporation already has such a system called Hyper Sonic Sound (HSS). Their site also shows that they have filed for patents as early as July 1996 (first patent allowed August 1998). I hate to break everyone's excitement, but the other thing about this company is that they don't manufacture anything themselves: they only license the OEMs (at least for HSS). It is interesting to note that one of their current contracts is to implement and test HSS technology for use on Navy Ships. I first heard of this technology about 5 years ago, to be honest, I don't know why more hasn't been seen of it.

This is not new at all. American Technology Corporation already has such a system called Hyper Sonic Sound (HSS). Their site also shows that they have filed for patents as early as July 1996 (first patent allowed August 1998). I hate to break everyone's excitement, but the other thing about this company is that they don't manufacture anything themselves: they only license the OEMs (at least for HSS). It is interesting to note that one of their current contracts is to implement and test HSS technology for use on Navy Ships. I first heard of this technology about 5 years ago, to be honest, I don't know why more hasn't been seen of it.

This is not new at all. American Technology Corporation already has such a system called Hyper Sonic Sound (HSS). Their site also shows that they have filed for patents as early as July 1996 (first patent allowed August 1998). I hate to break everyone's excitement, but the other thing about this company is that they don't manufacture anything themselves: they only license the OEMs (at least for HSS). It is interesting to note that one of their current contracts is to implement and test HSS technology for use on Navy Ships. I first heard of this technology about 5 years ago, to be honest, I don't know why more hasn't been seen of it.