Boeing is perhaps best known for the commercial aircraft that most people have flown on at one point or another. But the company also has interests in rockets, satellites, space exploration, and an array of military technology. Its latest patent takes a turn toward the science fictional, with a design for a force-field system that could protect vehicles from nearby explosions. Rather than deflecting projectiles aimed directly at the vehicle, this system would muffle the shock wave resulting from an explosion, which is often the most damaging aspect.
When a bomb or other explosive ordinance detonates, it causes a rapid increase in heat and pressure. The resulting shock wave carries a great deal of energy outward from the blast site. Knowing which direction the blast is coming from could allow Boeing’s new force-field technology to spare a small area from the full force of the explosion. Whereas most of the energy shields from Star Trek and Star Wars are fully encompassing, long-term barriers, Boeing’s force field would exist only for a moment in a very limited area...Continue reading...
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