Sonic and ultrasonic weapons (USW) are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science fiction. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

Some of these weapons have been described as sonic bullets, sonic grenades, sonic mines, or sonic cannons. Some make a focused beam of sound or ultrasound; some make an area field of sound. Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... “Minefield” redirects here. ... Not to be confused with Canon. ... Sound is a disturbance of mechanical energy that propagates through matter as a wave. ... Ultrasound is a form of cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, this limit being approximately 20 kilohertz (20,000 hertz). ...

Although many real sonic and ultrasonic weapons are described as "non-lethal", they can still kill under certain conditions, so the term "less-lethal" has been suggested for the sake of accuracy. Non-lethal force is force which is not inherently likely to kill or cause great bodily injury to a living target. ... Non-lethal force is force which is not inherently likely to kill or cause great bodily injury to a living target. ...

Designed to emit sound as an irritant

Extremely high-power sound waves can break the eardrums of a target and cause severe pain or disorientation. This is usually sufficient to incapacitate a person. At higher energy levels, a subsonic shock wave is theoreticaly powerful enough to do damage.^{[citation needed]} The possible effects have been the subject of much speculation. The EMF Dosimetry Hand Book will provide further results of the bio-effects and expectations of these weapons. http://www.emfdosimetry.org/handbook4/handbook4.pdf The tympanic membrane, colloquially known as the eardrum, is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. ...

Less powerful sound waves can cause humans to experience nausea or discomfort. The use of these frequencies to incapacitate persons has occurred both in counter-terrorist and crowd control settings.

The possibility of a device that produces frequency that causes vibration of the eyeballs — and therefore distortion of vision — was apparently confirmed by the work of engineer Vic Tandy^{[citation needed]} while attempting to demystify a “haunting” in his laboratory in Coventry. This “spook” was characterised by a feeling of unease and vague glimpses of a grey apparition. Some detective work implicated a newly installed extractor fan that, Tandy found, was generating infrasound of 18.9 Hz, 0.3 Hz, and 9 Hz. For other places with the same name, see Coventry (disambiguation). ... Infrasound is sound with a frequency too low to be detected by the human ear. ...

In 2005 CNN reported that the crew of the cruise ship Seabourn Spirit used a long range acoustic device (LRAD) to deter pirates who chased and attacked the ship[1]. Its actual efficacy, however, has not been established. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The Seabourn Spirit is a cruise ship, operated by United States company Seabourn Cruise Line. ... // The LRAD is the round black device on top of the New York City police Hummer. ... Pirates may refer to: A group of people committing any of these activities: Piracy at sea or on a river/lake. ...

The BBC reported in Oct 2006 on a 'mobile' sonic device which is being used in Grimsby, Hull and Lancashire and is designed to deter troublesome teenagers from lingering around shops in target areas. The device works by emitting an ultra-high frequency blast that teenagers or those under 25 are susceptible to and find uncomfortable. Age-related hearing loss apparently prevents the ultra-high pitch sound causing a nuisance to those in their late twenties and above.

Demonstrated infrasonic weapon

The U.S. DOD has demonstrated phased arrays of infrasonic emitters. The weapon usually consists of a device that generates sound at about 7 Hz. The output from the device is routed (by pipes) to an array of open emitters, which are usually one wavelength apart. At this frequency, armor and concrete walls and other common building materials vibrate, and therefore provide no defense.^{[citation needed]} -- This is false, according to DEFRA - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK. (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise/research/lowfrequency/pdf/lowfreqnoise.pdf - page 5) The United States Department of Defense (DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. ... Infrasound is sound with a frequency too low to be detected by the human ear (less than approximately 20 hertz). ...

As a defense to such a weapon, mechanical "diode walls" to convert the oscillating air into a steady flow have been demonstrated.^{[citation needed]} This also seems not to be the case (Ibid, page 8, section 2.6.2)

Lethal sonic weapons, in air

Most of these are science fiction only. There are these types: Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

• Powerful low-pitched sound waves as a shock wave that blows enemies back. Fictional rifles that project sound to knock down or stun are featured in the 2002 movie Minority Report. These could be "on the horizon" for the real world, however, with:
  • The Vortex Ring Gun, a weapon that fires an acoustic air vortex that knocks people down.
  • Sonic bullets are being planned to be used in anti-hijack packs in planes: see http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1564 .
• A tight beam of focused sound used as a weapon like the focused light in laser guns.
• A powerful ultrasound beam which can liquify living tissue.
• A powerful sound designed to get buildings or structures to resonate and cause them to collapse.

Introduction The shock wave is one of several different ways in which a gas in a supersonic flow can be compressed. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Minority Report is a 2002 film by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Samantha Morton,Kathryn Morris, and Colin Farrell. ... The vortex ring gun is currently (as of early 2006) being developed. ... Hijackers inside flightdeck of TWA Flight 847 Aircraft hijacking (also known as skyjacking and aircraft piracy) is the take-over of an aircraft, by a person or group, usually armed. ... Experiment with a laser (US Military) In physics, a laser is a device that emits light through a specific mechanism for which the term laser is an acronym: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. ... Ultrasound is a form of cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, this limit being approximately 20 kilohertz (20,000 hertz). ... This article is about resonance in physics. ...

Lethal sonic weapons, underwater

The use of sonic weapons underwater has been widely speculated about.

• Ultrasound disintegration of solids in liquids is well known in industry, and could be adapted into a weapon.
• It has long been known that ultrasound in water will kill small water animals.
• There have been unconfirmed reports of scuba diver deaths and mass deaths of fish from being caught in powerful undersea ultrasound beams used by navies for communicating with submarines. Also see Anti-frogman techniques.
• It is suspected that massive whale beachings are caused by submarine sonar disorienting or deafening underwater mammals.
• Tiger pistol shrimp use a focused wave of sound to stun prey
• It is suspected that sperm whales and dolphins use powerful ultrasound to stun or kill their prey.
• There have been unconfirmed speculations about development of lethal underwater ultrasound anti-frogman weapons.
• The UPSS/IAS diver-detecter sonar system includes an underwater shockwave emitter: see #UPSS IAS.

Early ideas of autonomous under-water systems appear in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Scuba Diving is the use of independent breathing equipment to stay underwater for long periods for recreational diving and professional diving. ... The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) The British Grand Fleet, the supreme naval force of World War I A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ... USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ... The achievements of WWII frogmen, and later events, showed the need to guard against attacks by frogmen on important bases and facilities. ... A mass stranding of Pilot Whales A beached whale is a whale which has become stranded on land, usually on a beach. ... Binomial name Alpheus bellulus Miya & Miyake, 1969 The tiger pistol shrimp (Alpheus bellulus) is a species of snapping shrimp also called symbiosis shrimp. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Sperm Whale range (in blue) The Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of all toothed whales and is the largest toothed animal alive, measuring up to 18 metres (60 ft) long. ... Genera See article below. ... // This page describes a type of scuba diver. ... The F70 type frigates (here, La Motte-Picquet) are fitted with VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) type DUBV43 or DUBV43C towed sonars SONAR (SOund Navigation And Ranging) â€” or sonar â€” is a technique that uses sound propagation under water (primarily) to navigate, communicate or to detect other vessels. ... Introduction The shock wave is one of several different ways in which a gas in a supersonic flow can be compressed. ...

In popular culture and fiction

• In the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes respectively, the rat-like Skaven use sonic weapons in the form of The Screaming Bell, while the Emperor's Children chapter of the Chaos Space Marines also utilizes an array of dangerous sound-based artillery. Also, Eldar howling banshe aspect woriors have access to a helmet that amplifys their voices, stuning and confusing their opponents at close range.
• In the novel and anime Trinity Blood the "Silent Noise" system uses the sound of altered church bells as a weapon. It is controlled by playing an organ and depending the length of the song, can destroy a single building to entire cities.
• In Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged Project X was a sonic weapon with an effective radius of up to 300 miles. It was used in an attempt to keep the population in line.
• The Powerpuff Girls and Black Canary (a fictional superheroine from DC Comics), have the ability to utter an ultrasonic scream (referred to simply as Ultrasonic Scream in The Powerpuff Girls case and "Canary Cry" in Black Canary's case).
• Minmei, a fictional pop singer in Macross, whose song causes an adverse reaction when broadcast against enemy Zentraedi.
• In the Dune II video game, House Atreides has access to a Sonic Tank, with the ability to devastate any vehicle or troop with little resistance. The film by David Lynch also feature hand held weapons that amplify the users voice.
• In RahXephon, Dolem and the RahXephon sometimes sing while attacking. Some of them turn the song itself into a weapon that inflicts damage by sonic or other means.
• In the book The Calculus Affair, in the series of books entitled The Adventures of Tintin, Professor Calculus develops a sonic projector that has the potential to destroy entire cities.
• In Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, the Global Defense Initiative employs a powerful sonic weapon mounted on a tank called the Disruptor, much like the Sonic Tank from Dune II.
• In Dark Reign The Freedom Guard has the Seismic Tank, a sonic based wave that fires a (presumably) infrasonic wave at its target devastating anything in its path.
• In the The Runelords fantasy series by David Farland, the Wolf Lord, Raj Ahten, discovers he is able to use his heavily augmented Voice endowments to harm enemy soldiers and even--at the proper resonating frequencies--to reduce city walls to rubble.
• In the manga and anime seires "Naruto", many villagers from the Land of Sound implement sound into their combat in various ways. For instance, The villager Dosu Kinuta wields a sound amplifier on his arm, allowing the motion of his attacks to create sound waves that disrupt the target's inner ear and thus, their coordination and balance.
• In the computer games City of Heroes and City of Villains, two villain groups, the Council and the Gold Brickers, utilize sonic guns. Additionally, ranged sonic attacks are available to the primary ranged archetypes of both games.
• In the film Mars Attacks!, Slim Whitman music causes the martian's heads to pop.
• In Joss Whedon's television series Firefly, the Alliance 'Feds' use non-lethal sonic weapons to incapacitate criminals.
• In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the Geonosians use sonic weapons that can reduce solid materials, such as rock and bones, to dust.
• In X-COM: Terror from the Deep, the aliens use powerful 'sonic' weaponry that works both above and below water, showing no difference in damage potential in either situation. They are effectively the equivalent of the original X-COM: UFO Defense's plasma weaponry.
• A sound weapon is developed by the Germans in the movie Biggles: Adventures in Time.
• On the ABC television series Lost, the camp of the "Others" is surrounded by a ring of pylons. Crossing between two pylons activates a sonic pulse that causes a lethal cerebral hemorrhage.
• The Batman Beyond villain Shriek uses a variety of sonic weaponry.
• Japanese metal band Sigh used sonic weapons on their 2005 album Gallows Gallery
• In the RTS game Empire Earth, the ultra cyber 'Tempest' has a special ability called the Resonator.
• In the popular BBC series Doctor Who, The Doctor uses a device known as a Sonic Screwdriver which has been used for quite a few things in the Doctor Who universe. Apparently from the return of The Master in Series 3, the upgrade from the Sonic Screwdriver is the Laser Screwdriver.

For the tabletop games, see Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000. ... This article is about the tabletop miniature wargame and the fictional universe in which it is set. ... The Sixth Edition Skaven army book The Skaven are a race of man-sized rat-like creatures in Games Workshops Warhammer Fantasy setting. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Miniature of a Chaos Chosen in Terminator Armour In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Chaos Space Marines are Space Marines who serve the Chaos Gods. ... Eldar 4th edition codex In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Eldar are a race of elf-like humanoids. ... Serialized in Asuka Original run March 17, 2004 – No. ... Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher,[1] best known for developing Objectivism and for writing the novels We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and the novella Anthem. ... Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Black Canary is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. ... A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Black Canary is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. ... Portrait of Lynn Minmay, the iconic singer of the Macross series. ... The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (Japanese: 超時空要塞マクロス, Chou Jikuu Yousai Macross) is an anime television series. ... The Zentradi are a militaristic race of giants and often the primary antagonist in the Macross and Robotech anime series. It is transliterated as Zentradi, Zjentohlauedy, and Zentraedi for the Japanese Macross series, with the Zentraedi spelling being the one most used in the Robotech adaptation. ... To meet Wikipedias content policies, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dune is a 1983 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. ... Original run January 2002 – September 2002[1] No. ... The Dolem Allegretto In the anime/manga series RahXephon, Dolem (or Dorem) are great mysterious beings that are used as super-weapons. ... The Calculus Affair (LAffaire Tournesol) is the eighteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The main characters and others from The Castafiore Emerald, one of the later books The Adventures of Tintin (French: ) is a series of Belgian comic books created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi (1907–1983). ... Professor Calculus (Professeur Tournesol) Spoiler warning: Professor Cuthbert Calculus (Professeur Tryphon Tournesol, literally Professor Tryphonius Sunflower) is a fictional character in the series The Adventures of Tintin. ... To meet Wikipedias content policies, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Runelords is the first of a series of fantasy novels by Dave Wolverton. ... Dave Wolverton (born 1957) is a science-fiction author who also goes under the pseudonym David Farland for his fantasy works. ... The Runelords is a fantasy novel series written by David Farland. ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump Shonen Jump BANZAI! Shonen Jump Weekly Comic Original run November 1999 – Ongoing No. ... The Land of Sound ) is a geographical feature in the Naruto anime and manga series. ... The Land of Sound ) is a geographical feature in the Naruto anime and manga series. ... City of Heroes (CoH) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing computer game based on the superhero comic book genre, developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCsoft. ... City of Villains is a massively multiplayer online role-playing computer game based on the superhero comic book genre, developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSoft. ... Paragon City, the City of Heroes setting place, and the Rogue Isles, the City of Villains locale, are full of organizations that players must confront. ... Paragon City, the City of Heroes setting place, and the Rogue Isles, the City of Villains locale, are full of organizations that players must confront. ... Mars Attacks! is a comedy and science fiction film by Tim Burton based on the popular card series Mars Attacks. ... Slim Whitman (born January 20, 1924 in Tampa, Florida) is an American country music singer and songwriter. ... Genera Curtos Cyphonocerus Drilaster Ellychnia Hotaria Lampyris Lucidina Lucidota Luciola - Japanese fireflies Phausis Photinus - common eastern firefly Photuris Pristolycus Pyractomena Pyrocoelia Stenocladius many others Wikispecies has information related to: Lampyridae Lampyridae is a family in the beetle order Coleoptera, members of which are commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glow... Film poster for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) is the fifth Star Wars science fiction movie released and the second part of the prequel trilogy which began with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. ... X-COM: Terror from the Deep is a computer game, the sequel to X-COM: UFO Defense (or UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe). ... X-COM: UFO Defense is a video game created by Microprose Software. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Lost is an American serial drama television series that follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a passenger jet flying between Australia and the United States crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For pylons of overhead lines, see Electricity pylon Pylon Noun from Greek πυλώνας gateway tower like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high voltage electricity cables. ... A cerebral hemorrhage is a bleed into the substance of the cerebrum. ... Batman Beyond (known as Batman of the Future in Europe, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand) is an American animated television series created by The WB Television Network in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy. ... Shriek is a fictional character from the animated television series Batman Beyond, making him a villain of Terry McGinnis. ... Sigh is an avant-garde metal band from Tokyo, Japan that was formed in 1989. ... Gallows Gallery is an album by the band Sigh. ... Real-time strategy (often abbreviated as RTS) is a genre of computer wargames which take place in real-time, where resource gathering, base building, technology development and high-level control over individual units (harvest, build, destroy) are key components[1], which distinguishes it from related strategy wargame genres, such as... Empire Earth, also known as EE, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and published by Sierra Entertainment in November 2001. ... For the fictional robot, see Mecha. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... Doctor Who is a long-running award-winning British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The series depicts the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor who explores time and space in his TARDIS time ship with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... The Doctor can refer to the following people: The Doctor, the main character of Doctor Who The Doctor, a character on Star Trek: Voyager Ayman al-Zawahiri (al-Zawahiri has used this name as an alias) The Doctor is the title of: The Doctor, 1991 movie starring William Hurt and... The Master is a supporting fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

See also

• Long range acoustic device (LRAD)
• Brown note
• Sone (a unit of loudness of sound)
• Sound pressure
• Sound energy flux
• Sound power
• Sound intensity
• Infrasound
• Ultrasound

// The LRAD is the round black device on top of the New York City police Hummer. ... The brown note, according to an urban legend, is an infrasound frequency that causes humans to lose control of their bowels due to resonance. ... The sone is a unit of perceived loudness N after a proposal of S. Smith Stevens in 1936. ... Sound pressure is the pressure deviation from the local ambient pressure caused by a sound wave. ... The sound energy flux is the average rate of flow of sound energy for one period through any specified area. ... Sound power or acoustic power Pac is a measure of sonic energy E per time t unit. ... The sound intensity, I, (acoustic intensity) is defined as the sound power Pac per unit area A. The usual context is the noise measurement of sound intensity in the air at a listeners location. ... Infrasound is sound with a frequency too low to be detected by the human ear. ... Ultrasound is a form of cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, this limit being approximately 20 kilohertz (20,000 hertz). ...

External links

• USA Today report on cruise ship attack — Data on device used by cruise ship (PDF)
• Information about a pioneer in infrasonic applications such as weaponry.