Sonic Weapons Explained: How Do They Work, And What Are They Used For? – SlashGear

As former U.S. army sergeant Herb Friedman put it, noise has always been used in warfare “to threaten the enemy and raise the morale of your own people.” Though this surely had an impact, things changed when technology allowed for the use of literal sonic-based weaponry.

One of the first such modern weapons was deployed by the United States military with the “Long-Range Acoustic Device” — or LRAD. This weapon saw use during the war in Iraq in the mid-2000s, and could reportedly blast waves of sound at volumes approaching 150 decibels. According to the CDC, this is about as intense as the sound of a firecracker, capable of damaging ears and causing pain.

An LRAD looks like a simple speaker, and can be used in loudhailer/megaphone fashion. However, it can also be set to administer a powerful, focused blast of sound in a specific area. With sound, it’s the intensity — rather than volume — that is key, and that’s where this terrible weapon excels. Audio producer Cory Choy described to Popular Mechanics in an interview that being exposed to an LRAD was like “the sound equivalent of looking into the sun … horrible, nauseating pain.”

The human ear is very sensitive to sounds between 2000 Hertz and 4000 Hertz. As a result, the LRAD operates in this particular region. The dispersal of sound means that it is most effective in a narrow area, but the concentrated wrath of such an LRAD weapon is fearsome.