Boeing and DARPA to Develop Advanced "Bubble Shield" to Save Lives in Battle
Written By: Christine Dantz
September 2015
Thanks to the combined efforts of Boeing and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) a new, lifesaving video game technology is officially in development. The Halo-like “bubble-shield” with the nickname, Block Access to Deny Entry (BlockADE) won’t stop bullets, but it will detect nearby explosions. Once detected, it heats the air or water around the area between the device and explosion to create a protective plasma shield. It’s important to understand the shield will not act as a force field. It will only reduce damage and minimize casualties.
According to a patent filed on May 30, 2012, the department approved the patent for a “method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc” on March 17, 2015 for the Boeing Company, Chicago, IL.
DARPA explains BlockADE,
“These deployable systems are expected to have many potential applications ranging from blocking access to munitions caches to creating temporary buildings for those impacted by natural disasters.”
What else does DARPA have in development to save U.S. soldiers’ lives?
TheSquad X Core Technologies program (SXCT) wants to expand the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s Electronic Warfare (EW) through improved threat detection at greater distances. While BlockADE will greatly reduce U.S. and civilian casualties, it’s limited in range; the SXCT program will use a portable transceiver to expand threat detection up to 20 feet from the device.
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