First time I read about this I was reminded of The Gamesters of Triskelion. What a great torture or coercion device.

Sad.

What I don't understand is how someone feeling the excruciating pain all over their body that this thing causes is going to be physically capable of "running away". When I'm in sudden pain, my reflexes move me quickly - for a second - but terrible pain all over? That's what you call disabling. And how do you know which way is the "away" to run to unless the weapon is clearly in your line of sight? If the misleading "run away" is part of the sales pitch, what else is there about this little torture machine that Raytheon is not being truthful about?

... is not being sold to countries with questionable human rights records
So, the US can't buy it? Or Britain, Australia, Japan ...

That is a truly horrible, horrible machine. I'm not sure why it is worse than a bullet, but it is.

wendell, I wondered the same about running away - I suspect that it pre-supposes a knowledge that running away will make the pain stop, as would be the case in test subjects such as Marines, in a controlled environment. Unleash this thing on unsuspecting people who would have no idea where the pain was coming from or even that it was caused by a weapon and the result is more likely to be everyone curling up in a ball, vomiting and screaming from the pain and confusion and with no idea of how to make it stop.

Not for the first time, I weep for our race.

Actually, the videos show people instinctively running until they're out of the beam -- very little curling up in a ball.

I can't say this won't be used for torture, but then car batteries are used for torture.

It would be ugly to be a country using these against even an unruly crowd, but I'm not sure more appreciably ugly than using dogs against peace marchers or firehoses against globalization protesters.

Nor do I think it's worse than a bullet. The only way it's "worse" in that its non-lethality significantly drops the bar at which someone feels comfortable ordering its use, the same as the Taser. But the Taser beats a billy club in my book.

Reminds me of this:

a stranger handed this boy a dollar to do a simple chore
to carry a package to a nearby hotel
and when he returned he'd get two more
but when he came back he sort of lost his way walking thru the crowd
one of them things you ask yourself, how the Lord allowed
but when he was found he was like he is now
dreaming sweet and still
and in his little hand was a crumpled dollar bill
now you can take that dollar
get four cents on it compound it quarterly at any downtown bank
so they can back some hot new tank or atom bomb
well, what I'm going to tell you now, you can stay or you can leave
you kind of listened to my story so far but just one more thing
it's the same for any hippie, bum or hillbilly out on the street
just remember this little boy and never carry more than you can eat
now could you help us sing this song, please
there will be peace in the valley for him now we pray
I will think of the little hippie boy that way

"This machine has the ability to inflict limitless, unbearable pain."

All I could think was "Crucio!" Yes, okay, a rather lame comparison, except that inflicting unbearable pain in the HP series was an unforgivable crime that could drive its victims mad.

And you're right, stilicho: I could very easily see this device used to "interrogate" prisoners -- after all, their lives won't be in danger, their limbs will remain intact, they'll bear no physical marks of the pain they've suffered, yes? And to avoid feeling that pain again, I imagine they'll say anything their captors want them to say.

At least we have the technology, understand it, and therefore can learn to defend against it. After all, building a tunable microwave transmitter ain't that damn difficult. It would have a limited range but just a foot or two would be effective.

Reminds me of the nerve induction box that the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohaim used on Paul Atreides to find out if he was human or not.

All I could think was "Crucio!" Yes, okay, a rather lame comparison, except that inflicting unbearable pain in the HP series was an unforgivable crime that could drive its victims mad.
Having just finished reading the whole series in one go, I had the same thought, but was too embarrassed to say so. Now that someone else has come out, I don't feel so bad.