    Less-than-lethal weapons have a variety of applications in law
    enforcement, including rescuing hostages, stopping fleeing
    felons, and quelling prison disturbances. The National Institute
    of Justice is sponsoring a broad program to develop new
    techniques for "friendly force" as an alternative to the use of
    deadly force. As part of this program, Oak Ridge National
    Laboratory (ORNL) is examining approaches based on known
    physiological responses to certain types of stimuli. These
    "weapons" would temporarily incapacitate an individual or a
    group with no lasting physiological damage. These concepts are
    based on ORNL's experience and expertise in biological-based
    systems and biophysical responses, particularly in evaluating
    the physical responses of humans to a variety of chemical,
    physical and radiological agents. ORNL also has extensive
    experience and expertise in risk analysis and in risk assessment
    and modeling.

    The ORNL less than-lethal weapons project sponsored by the
    National Institute of Justice began in September 1993. The
    following tasks are being performed:

    *   Locate and compile data from tests, accidents, medical
        literature, etc. on biological and biophysical responses
        to energetic stimuli (such as electromagnetic fields).
    *   Analyze the information and identify promising candidate
        mechanisms for further development for a friendly force
    *   Evaluate the applicability of the proposed approaches to
        several realistic scenarios (such as hostage rescue or riot
        control).

    ORNL has already examined several possible concepts for
    less-than-lethal weapons based on known physiological responses
    to energetic stimuli, including a thermal gun, a seizure gun,
    and a magnetophosphene gun. A thermal gun would have the
    operational effect of heating the body to 105 to 107F, thereby
    incapacitating any threat, based on the fact that even a slight
    fever can affect the ability of a person to perform even simple
    tasks. This approach is built on four decades of research
    relating radio frequency exposure to body heating. A seizure gun
    would use electromagnetic energy to induce epileptic-like
    seizures in persons within the range of a particular
    electromagnetic field. The magnetophosphene gun is designed
    around a biophysical mechanism which evokes a visual response
    and is thought to be centered in the retina, known as
    magnetophosphenes. This effect is experienced when a person
    receives a blow to the head and sees "stars". This same effect
    can be produced with electromagnetic energy. While there are a
    number of technical challenges to be overcome in building

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