Laser Weapon Being Developed by Military Can Send Voice Commands and Burn People Over Long Distances

The Department of Defense (DoD), in collaboration with several universities and small companies, are developing a non-lethal laser weapon which can send voice commands or burn people’s skin to repel targets over long distances.

Known as the Scalable Compact Ultra-short Pulse Laser Systems (SCUPLS), the technology could be employed on small tactical vehicles and other platforms to be used in situations such as crowd control, according to David Law, chief scientist from the DoD’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate.

The system involves two laser systems, one of which shoots incredibly short pulses of focused infrared light lasting one quadrillionth of a second. This laser fires a series of pulses to rip electrons from the air, creating an invisible and inert ball of plasma—a fourth state of matter made up of ionized gas—near or on the target.