Danger Room Video Ops: Spencer Ackerman Zapped by 'Pain Ray'

(tense music)

I'm Spencer Ackerman with Wired.com

out in Quantico, Virginia, where it's a nice if chilly day

to be blasted with a nonlethal weapon

called the active denial system.

It's a millimeter wave weapon intended to cause

a nonlethal but significant burning or heating effect,

so for instance, if there are people demonstrating

or seeming like they may pose a threat

or not responsive to soldiers or marines

telling them to get back, the active denial system

is sort of an extra step before

they would actually use lethal force.

Dr. Loree, can you tell us a bit about

why this, for instance, won't microwave me?

The frequency that is built into these transmitters

is 95 gigahertz, that's a factor of 100 higher

than the microwave-level frequencies that penetrate.

The 95 gigahertz gives us propagation downrange

with very limited penetration.

[Spencer] So how deep will this actually get

under my skin?

[Diana] 1/64 of an inch.

Let's go get shot.

There'll be a gray pickup truck,

which is our safety vehicle, if you need to be

back off the range.

(tense music)

Okay!

It's hot!

Now, if I didn't know where the active denial system was,

and that it was gonna fire, I would just think

this blast of heat was coming from out of nowhere.

There's no flash, no smell, no sound, no round,

and having just been blasted with this thing,

I can tell you it feels not unlike

immediately walking into an open oven door.

It's a little bit chilly out here right now,

and on my chest area up to my neck,

I got a big blast of heat, and it forces you

to kind of immediately and instinctually jump back,

put your arms up.

You're gonna wanna stop doing what you're doing.