March 30, 2023

Sneaky US Navy feedback device could stop people being able to speak

Sneaky US Navy feedback device could stop people being able to speak
Sneaky US Navy feedback device could stop people being able to speakSneaky US Navy feedback device could stop people being able to speak
A sailor in the US Navy uses a long-range acoustic device on board a boat

A sailor in the US Navy uses a long-range acoustic device during a drill

David Wa / Alamy

A non-lethal device developed by the US Navy aims to surreptitiously render a person unable to speak.

The device, called a handheld acoustic hailing and disruption (AHAD) system, records a target’s speech with a long-range microphone and plays it back to them with a tiny delay. As anyone who has spoken on a phone or internet call that echoes their voice back at them will know only too well, such delayed auditory feedback can be highly disruptive …