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Technology Stocks : ATCO -- Breakthrough in Sound Reproduction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Urlman who wrote (1029)	11/15/2001 6:00:43 AM
From: Savant	Respond to of 2062

Woody didn't REALLY do that....did he??? I hope that's just Woodlore. However, I bet there IS a cow wandering around somewhere..thinking...whadafwuzdat?? I've heard of 'cow tipping', but that takes the cake. Good find Url. Best, Savant PS..I think the guy at the end of the article that was so worried about a little hearing loss, has never heard a .357 go off near him..or AT HIM.

To: Urlman who wrote (1029)	11/19/2001 5:28:31 AM
From: Savant	Respond to of 2062

Sound Directed Energy Weapons Some exotic phenomena of or using sound are well known, such as an ultrasonic scanner that can see inside the human body or the sonic boom of an aircraft breaking the sound barrier. In addition to these, there is a field of equally exotic, but more sinister uses of sound that is less well known. It is widely claimed that invisible bullets, voices in the head, speaking lamp posts and direct induction of discomfort, illness, injury and even death in people can be achieved by the controlled use of sound. The Sound of Sickness Dr Vladimir Gavreau was a researcher into automatons and robotic devices in the fifties. In around 1957, while working in their laboratory, he and his research team simultaneously experienced periodical bouts of nausea. After tests for pathogens and noxious gasses, and a full building check, the blame was eventually laid on a poorly installed motor-driven ventilator housed in a huge concrete duct. It was thought that the unit was producing "nauseating vibrations". Being predisposed to inquisitiveness, Gavreau and his team set about measuring these vibrations. After much difficulty and nausea, the vibrations were measured to have an unexpectedly low fundamental of 7Hz. The ventilator was exciting its duct into resonance like a huge organ pipe. These low intensity, extremely low frequency waves indeed appeared to somehow be inducing ill effects in people. Gavreau believed he had discovered the key to a new type of weapon, so he and his team concentrated their efforts in this new field of research. Their first experiment involved a huge 'organ pipe' excited by a piston, producing around 5Hz. The device was operated for durations of only a few seconds with a researcher standing a great distance in front of it. Even with this minimal exposure, Gavreau and his team experienced immediate pain followed by spasms and nausea lasting for at least a day. Eerily, the device was completely inaudible in operation. It was obvious from these results that this form of weapon had great potential. There have been many developments in sonic antipersonnel weapons since Gavreau's era. However, since these have been largely under military volition, they are shrouded in secrecy. The position as it generally believed to be is described below. Infrasonic Weapons This class of acoustic weapon is basically a refinement of Gavreau's weapon. It is essentially an "infrasound LASER", emitting a beam of coherent sound waves at a frequency below the range of human hearing (<20Hz). There are two known methods currently used to produce infrasound. Periodic explosion This method uses regular explosions of a fuel/air vapour, ignited by a spark plug. This works in a similar way to an IC engine however the explosions are not confined, but their energy is transferred to the output so as to create regular pressure waves. High Power LASER It is not known exactly how this method works. The author believes that the laser may be pulsed so as to vaporise water causing alternate compression and rarefaction. It is not clear exactly how these sources of infrasound are focused. From vague descriptions of devices under development by Scientific Applications & Research Associates Inc. (SARA) based in Huntington Beach, California it is thought that the sound is focused using long tubes and parabolic reflectors. The very low frequency of infrasound means that it is not easily attenuated and can pass through most solid objects, including buildings and walls. Effects Infrasound causes resonance of parts of the human body. At low intensity, this can simply upset the nervous system causing nausea, as experienced by Gavreau above. It has also been reported to induce fear and confusion. At higher intensities, the energy absorbed by internal organs (including the jelly-like brain) can cause tearing, trauma and air pockets to develop. The effects of this can range from loss of bowel control to death. The length of exposure need only be a few seconds. Use There are currently several known uses for this weapon crowd control A dangerous crowd can be flooded with infrasound at an intensity designed to cause nausea and temporary pain in order to disperse them. sonic fences Arrays of infrasonic sources can be used as a type of fence. Any parties would become more uncomfortable is they approached the sources. covert harassment Specific people such as terrorists or other individuals determined to be a threat could be incapacitated in their home or workplace by bombardment with infrasound through walls. In all applications the intensity of the energy reduces over distance due to spreading. It is important to stop people getting closer than expected to the weapon as this may result in more severe effects than intended. There are probably other classified uses. Sonic Bullets This class of weapon delivers a short duration packet of high intensity focused acoustic energy. Information on the principle of operation of this weapon is very limited. Generally an explosion or other sudden release of energy is used to create an intense pulse of acoustic energy. This is somehow focused into a very small packet. The frequency of this energy is generally infrasonic thus the bullets can pass through walls. A Russian device that can propel a 10-hertz sonic bullet the size of a baseball hundreds of yards is thought to exist. It is thought to employ a 2m parabolic reflector dish. Effects Sonic bullets can cause blunt object trauma. They also can cause a person to feel a sudden jolt like someone has pushed them. Bearing in mind that these bullets will go through walls and cannot be heard, the psychological effects could be significant. The bullet would eventually dissipate into the atmosphere leaving no trace that it had ever existed. Use The potential uses for this weapon are universal. If it can be made sufficiently compact it could be used to injure people behind walls. Ultrasonic Weapons This class uses heterodyning between two beams of ultrasound (>20kHz). These beams are produced by high power piezo- electric horns. Where two beams of slightly different frequency are focused at a particular point, the beams will interact at this point resulting in an audible sound at the difference frequency. It is possible to phase modulate one of the ultrasonic beams with an audio signal so that the signal is recreated at the point of intersection. It is also possible to create an ultrasonic signal in this way. Effects By choosing the point of focus near to a wall or other hard surface it is possible to project a sound from the focus. If the focus is placed near to someone's ear, they will be able to hear the sound. However, at all other points no sound can be heard. The effect can be to create the impression of speaking inanimate objects and voices in the head. Use This is most useful as a psychotronic weapon

To: Urlman who wrote (1029)	12/12/2001 12:49:46 PM
From: Savant	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2062

American Technology Corp. Announces Allowance of Key Patent U.S. Patent Office Allows Patent on PureBass Sub-Woofer Technology SAN DIEGO, Dec 12, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- American Technology Corp. (Nasdaq: ATCO chart, msgs) today announced the allowance of a key U.S. patent on its PureBass(TM) extended range, band-pass, sub-woofer technology. PureBass technology incorporates a novel acoustic filter system to reduce distortion while increasing the output capabilities relative to conventional woofer systems. It also provides a unique, seamless interface with all upper range satellite speaker systems. PureBass, originally developed to fill the desire for higher quality low frequency devices to match the company's high performance, Stratified Field(R) and NeoPlanar(TM) thin-film speaker technologies, offers improved performance with a wide variety of loudspeaker types and applications. Bob Todrank, vice president of sales, marketing, & business development for ATC, said, "PureBass is a breakthrough in sub-woofer technology, enabling the unique ability to improve low frequency performance while simultaneously reducing the system costs for a variety of consumer, commercial, and professional applications. The unique, patented design of PureBass is notable in the category of high powered, cone-based sub-woofer technologies in that its unusually low distortion and impressive stop band behavior allow it to integrate in a surprisingly seamless manner even with highly accurate thin-film planar speaker systems." Jim Croft, chief technology officer with ATC, continued, "PureBass is a unique offering in the audio field that not only provides significant performance advantages but also increased design flexibility and a multitude of alignment options which enables the new subwoofer system to couple more effectively with all types of upper range satellite speakers. Besides its performance advantages and ideal matching to our high performance thin-film systems, it also enables our licensees to improve the performance and significantly reduce the size and cost of their conventional satellite speaker systems when used with PureBass. Greater output, reduced size, higher reliability, lower distortion, and reduced system cost make this a valuable technology for our prospective licensees." The company is marketing PureBass technology to OEM manufacturers and prospective licensees for a wide variety of consumer, automotive, commercial, and professional applications. The high quality sound, low distortion, potential for smaller, lower cost satellites, and greater flexibility in room placement while maintaining ideal sound field imaging makes PureBass an ideal complement to high quality home audio systems including Home Theater and Hi-Fi subwoofer/satellite speaker applications. For car audio, PureBass offers compact size, greater acoustic power output, and deep bass. In-wall and custom home installations will benefit from the low distortion, smooth response, and flexible form factor. For professional applications such as large venue and touring sound systems, PureBass provides much greater output capability while removing audible distortion normally found to be problematic in conventional systems when used in high output applications. This distortion reduction is achieved through the use of multiple Helmholtz-reflex tunings to significantly reduce cone excursion and provide a specialized 30+ dB per octave acoustic filtering system. Todrank added, "With the allowance of this key PureBass patent, we are now aggressively and selectively pursuing the more than 350 licensing inquiries we have received from global companies across all categories of the audio industry including Stereo/Hi-Fi, Home Theater, Automotive, Professional and Commercial, free space and in-wall installations. Sample units are available and have already begun shipping to our prospective customers." Terry Conrad, president of ATC, commented, "This is one of ATC's most valuable audio-related patents. We are now the recognized owner of the most effective low-frequency reproduction method available for many applications. In addition to the patent coverage in the United States, our extensive worldwide applications will protect the technology abroad in order to ensure revenue when PureBass is manufactured and/or sold anywhere around the world. Prior to the allowance of this patent, the company granted PureBass licenses to three companies; we expect several models under a variety of brand names to enter the marketplace, adding to our revenues in 2002."