Force Fields to Become Reality? Boeing Granted Patent for Explosion Defense Plasma Shield
ByBoeing wants to make one piece of Stars Wars technology a reality, as they have filed a patent for real-life force fields.
According to CNN, Boeing filed the patent in 2012 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The document describes a system that would be able to detect an explosion and produce an ionized barrier before the blast reaches it.
While the idea of the Boeing force field is exciting, it would not be impenetrable to artillery, shrapnel and debris. Per the patent, Boeing said the soldiers standing behind the plasma shield would need to keep their armor on.
"[The system] may include a sensor for detecting a source of the shockwave and generating a detection signal, an arc generator in communication with the sensor and configured to receive the detection signal therefrom, and in response thereto create an electromagnetic arc to heat a selected region of the first fluid medium rapidly to create the second, transient medium, different from the first medium, interposed between the shockwave and the protected region such that the shockwave contacts the second, transient medium," reads the patent, according to Forbes.
The magazine also noted the force field in Boeing's patent can only face one direction, like a shield rather than a dome. It also cannot be turned on; there has to be a blast for the shield to detect.
"Explosive devices are being used increasingly in asymmetric warfare to cause damage and destruction to equipment and loss of life," the patent states. "The majority of the damage caused by explosive devices results from shrapnel and shock waves."