Posts Tagged ‘electromagnetic pulse’
Texas Congressmen Call for Electromagnetic Pulse Guns on the Border
Republican Michael McCaul and Democrat Henry Cuellar want the border patrol to use portable EMP emitters to disable cars, boats or a host of other electronic items.
A suitcase-sized could thwart smugglers trying to drive illegal drugs or immigrants into the United States, the lawmakers say.
The , developed by Austin-based Applied Physical Electronics, emits high-amplitude electronic fields powerful enough to disable various devices "without causing permanent physical damage or endangerment to individuals," as Similar devices have been used by the Defense Department for the past 12 years.
McCaul notes that EMPs would allow border patrol agents to stop wayward vehicles without having to chase them. The ability to stop vehicles of smugglers from a distance without making direct contact would give our Border Patrol agents a distinct advantage," he says.
The lawmakers, who both sit on the House Homeland Security Committee, took a tour of the border this spring and saw the device remotely disable a computer. The pair has also advocated using aerial drones over the Texas-Mexico border. Drones are already being used and Cuellar's office says an unmanned vehicle will be flying over the Texas border by this fall.
The lawmakers say they both believe in using new technology for border security.
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Should I Be Worried About Electromagnetic Pulses Destroying My Electronics?
Despite the grid’s numerous built-in safeguards, if enough transformers go down, they could take large chunks of the grid with them. The only way to get it running again would be to replace all the damaged gear. CMEs aren’t usually disastrous, but the two largest blasts on record, which took place in 1859 and 1921, could each knock out the Northeast power grid if they happened today. On the bright side, although CMEs have been known to put satellites out of commission, our atmosphere deflects most of the energy, so the radiation is too diffuse by the time it reaches your electronics to destroy them.
A man-made EMP poses a greater threat. If one goes off in your neighborhood, there’s a significant risk that the concentrated pulse will induce extra voltage in the circuit-board components, frying them for good. The best bet for protecting your electronics is to store them in a Faraday cage: a cube of interweaving metals, preferably copper and quarter-inch-thick steel, which together can act as an electromagnetic shield. Like in a lightning rod, the copper attracts electricity while the steel absorbs magnetic pulses. A cage big enough to hold all your favorite gadgets—your cellphone, TV, computer, and so on—runs in the neighborhood of $15,000. An EMP could also crash the power grid, so you might want to spring for an extra cage to protect your generator too.
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