In their quest for less bloody approaches to crowd control, the American defense contractor Raytheon unveils "Silent Guardian", a gizmo that broadcasts a beam of pure pain up to a quarter mile (in the form of microwaves tuned to resonate with the pain receptors in your skin), with no lasting physical effects. Hardened Marines can't take it for more than a second --- they involuntarily turn tail and run. As would anyone else, if they can. If they can't, well, quoth the reporter...

[These weapons] are quick, clean, cheap, easy to use and, most importantly, leave no marks. What would happen if they fell into the hands of unscrupulous nations where torture is not unknown?

What, indeed?

(via slashdot)