The main protection systems used by security forces around the world are based on physical barriers. However, the shockwave of a sufficiently large detonation can penetrate armor and cause death to one or more people without shrapnel. Boeing's engineers believe that an electromagnetic arc could reduce the effects of a shockwave, and consequently, they decided to patent the idea.
A shield against shockwaves
Exploring Boeing's recent history, we find developments like the 787 Dreamliner and the Black smartphone, which has the ability to self-destruct. But in recent hours, several specialized media have reported that the aerospace giant has patented a shield similar to Star Wars. As a reference, they published images of the shields that the Gungans generate during that horror called The Phantom Menace. The official patent number is 8,981,261, and it was originally filed on May 30, 2012, so Boeing has been exploring the concept for some time. Still, the patent has nothing to do with Star Wars, Star Trek, or other science fiction works. The idea is not to block objects or concentrated beams, but the shockwave of a detonation.
How it works
Suppose a vehicle is attacked and a bomb explodes very close. Depending on its type, the explosion can generate different levels of shrapnel that cause damage on its own, but there is also the shockwave. Even with solid physical defense, the wave can cause serious injuries to the vehicle's passengers. The electromagnetic attenuation system patented by Boeing detects the origin of the detonation using its light as a reference, and the so-called arc generator fires two laser pulses in its direction, altering the density and temperature of the air. The explosion's wave hits this ionized bubble, which absorbs, reflects, and deflects a good part of the energy. The result is a shockwave with much less impact on the vehicle and its passengers.
Whether shield, force field, barrier, or bubble, the fact is we are only facing a patent. Apparently Boeing has no prototype in development, and there is a possibility it never will. Now, I am convinced that some military branch would find an effective application for this technology. The armed forces have begun to look more favorably on laser weapons, especially for their cost per shot. If Boeing manages to do this, and above all manages to make it cheap... who knows?
