Modern technologies have long ceased to cause an all-consuming excitement. We are accustomed to their progressive development and very quickly get used to the new opportunities that they provide to humanity. Today, space exploration rockets or laser beams capable of destroying targets with mathematical precision, or the ability of sound waves to cause rigid bodies to levitate in space, will surprise no one today. But many historical archaeological finds prompt one to ask: are these really new technologies or were these scientific achievements already embodied in ancient times?
The ability of sound not only to heal, but also to cripple people has been known for a long time. It is known from historical documents that sound weapons were used by our distant ancestors quite successfully. Recall at least the capture of the ancient city of Jerusalem by the army of Joshua. With the help of the famous Jericho pipes, the fortified walls of the city were destroyed. Sound then acted as a damaging factor. It is also known that in ancient India wind pipes were often used, the sound of which was able to put the enemy army to flight.
But sound can also have a healing effect: for example, bell ringing - when ringing at a frequency of 25 kHz, the shells of dangerous microorganisms are destroyed. The bell sound is not tolerated by influenza and hepatitis viruses. About 40% of viruses are killed by bell ringing. It has been proved that in the area of the sound effect of the bells, the lymph flow and blood flow increase, since the hydrodynamic resistance of the vessels decreases. In Russia, for a long time, with the help of a bell, melancholy and migraine were treated, doctors recommended ringing bells for patients to recover from a sleepless night and relieve the condition after alcohol intoxication.
The modern study of the effect of sound on the human body has confirmed that a person's eardrums can be damaged from a loud sound, hearing loss can occur, and sound waves in the infrared spectrum will lead to cardiac arrest. Not surprisingly, military technology has embraced such sound wave capabilities. Acoustic weapons are widely used in the modern world. For example, it is used to combat sea pirates, which cause great damage on busy sea routes. In 2005, when sea robbers tried to attack a huge tourist liner off the coast of Somalia, LRAD acoustic weapons were used against them. This device was developed in special laboratories in the USA. On the website of the manufacturer of the device "American Technology Corporation" you can find a description of the main characteristics of this interesting device. The LRAD is a large metal disc with a diameter of 84 cm and can generate 150 decibels from 2100 to 3100 kHz. (For comparison: the sound of the engine of the super-powerful aircraft "Concorde" is 110 decibels!). LRAD focuses the sound wave, creating a powerful "stinging" beam. The range of this device is 300 meters. At the maximum power of the device, it can permanently deprive the enemy of hearing. Even with low power, it will force the enemy to leave the battlefield. The developer of this acoustic weapon claims that the LRAD is not a lethal weapon, but rather it can be classified as a psychological weapon. LRAD is sometimes referred to as the “Jerekhon Trumpet”. So,that it was this “hierophant pipe” that made the pirates say goodbye to the idea of robbing the rich passengers of the cruise ship. As a result of this battle with pirates, world trading companies showed great interest in LRAD and literally "filled up" the manufacturer with orders.
It should be noted that the "American Technology Corporation", fulfilling the order of the military department, developed the LRAD as a device that allows you to maintain verbal communication between ships over long distances. They began to equip ships in 2000. But the developer of this device went further in his research and now LRAD is able to influence the change in the behavior of the arrester, that is, make him refuse violence. These acoustic weapons are effectively used to suppress crowd aggression during unauthorized street demonstrations or to quell prison riots.
This weapon was also used in the American city of New Orleans destroyed by typhoon Katrina to scare off numerous looters. And some time ago, Palestinian agencies reported that acoustic weapons were used by Israelis in night aircraft raids. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has recorded numerous cases of high blood pressure, bleeding and cardiac arrest following Israeli air raids.
But it's not just modern weapons designers who have come up with the idea of using sound as a weapon. Military engineers of Hitlerite Germany also developed acoustic weapons, but since they were not fatal, the product did not receive distribution. In addition, the Germans used a very low frequency signal (nfsound) in their sound cannon, which they could not direct in a given direction, so not only enemies, but also fascist operators suffered from this acoustic weapon. By the way, the development did not remain "abandoned" - they began to use it against moles and rodents: where a narrow beam is not required.
During the Second World War, the USSR and its allies used acoustic equipment to recognize approaching aircraft and more accurately determine the enemy's artillery positions. An example of the effective use of sound in battle was the tank battle near Kiev. During the battle, the tanks of the army of General Rybalko advanced on enemy positions under the powerful roar of sirens. The offensive was supported by the bright light of numerous searchlights. The combination of these seemingly simple means led to the disorientation of the Germans and their escape from their positions.
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During the Cold War era, acoustic weapons were created both in the West and in the USSR. The developments led to the creation of radars operating on radio waves and interest in acoustic weapons gradually faded away. But the fact that acoustic weapons are not lethal did not completely stop research in this area.
Since 2005, the UK has used an analogue of LRAD - "Mosquito". The unit will produce a very high frequency sound. The annoying sound of the device is not heard by older people, so it was used to disperse youth gangs that rob shops at night. The principle of operation of this device is based on the well-known "Pavlov effect" - once hearing this unpleasant sound, a teenager never appears in the area again. Mosquitoes were installed to protect international summits held in the country. The range of this device is 15-20 meters.
Today, the most powerful sound equipment is considered to be equipment manufactured by Wattre Inc, under the name "Hyperspike". The device is able to create a sound pressure of 182 dB, and within a radius of 128 meters - 140 dB. The Hyperspike is 30 times more powerful than LRAD! As it is known today "Hyperspike" are used by the Coast Guard and Civil Aviation.
It should also be noted that the sound generator, created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology in Karlsruhe several years ago, was presented to international experts in 2011 as an example of a non-lethal weapon. The developers argued that this acoustic weapon is supposed to be used not so much in military operations, as for the peaceful settlement of conflicts over long distances. With its help, it is supposed to warn victims of a possible attack. The design of the device consists of a huge number of small speakers (CD size), which are mounted at a distance of 15 cm from each other. This design allows the sound to propagate in a cone over many hundreds of meters. The device generates sound with a frequency of 680 Hz and a volume of up to 130 dB.
But since the development of sound-generating devices continues today, I want to believe that acoustic installations will be used in many forms only for good purposes.