Subsonic Death Rays (was Re: day job)

[Paul Perry]

At 04:29 PM 17/01/99 -0800, Sean Costello  wrote:

>Speaking of which, does anyone on this list know anything about the
>subsonic death ray that France supposedly developed? 
 <cut> supposedly generated a highly
>directional beam of sound at an extremely high amplitude, around 7 Hz -
>the "resonant frequency of the body," so as to turn your innards to
>jello.
  
There was a SF story featuring the 'Craig Body Resonator' from memory..
But, high intensity infrasound IS dangerous. A device has been built based on a 
massively scalesd up air raid siren structure, which could cause injury.
But, like all low freq devices, is isn't directional at all (and cant be,
unless the generating structure is noticeably larger than a wavelength, 
which for 7Hz is 150 feet or so.)

The human body isn't very resonant, though if you hit one sound is usually
produced.

paul perry Frostwave P/l melbourne Australia

BTW those tightly focussed ultrasonic beams slightly detuned to try to give a 
vlf modulation product aren't exactly death rays, though they are supposed to
 produce nausea... this is the basis of experimental 'crowd control' devices.

I guess they would be more a 'deaf' ray at the levels they would have to use.