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"US investigators have concluded that the country's diplomats were being hit with an advanced device that can send out sound that is inaudible but can cause hug

"US investigators have concluded that the country's diplomats were being hit with an advanced device that can send out sound that is inaudible but can cause huge damage to the ears of a person around them, which appears to have been left either inside or near the diplomats' houses" So is this an actual device they found or is it something they theorized existed? Does this technology exist now? If so, that is unsettling!

Raphmedia 9y ago
Sounds that you can't hear can hurt your ears. There is nothing new there and creating such a device would be pretty easy.
- Chardok 9y ago
  I did not know that! It looks like anything greater than 120dB could be entirely inaudible and can lead to hearing loss. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasound#Safety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasound#Safety
  - jsjohnst 9y ago
    You are misquoting the article linked, greater than 120db is definitely audible depending on the frequency and the listener. Even at the frequencies they mention (25k being the highest), those are still audible to many humans (myself included).
    - AstralStorm 9y ago
      Even when not audible this high air pressure would be painful.
- gmarx 9y ago
  I wouldn't be 100% certain but yes, it seems unlikely that sound could damage the part of the ear that is stimulated by the given frequency without you hearing it. It's kind of a weird story. A bunch of people lose their hearing and the first and only thought is mystery weapon? There are a lot of things, including many common medications and infections that can cause hearing loss. I wonder if they know more or less than reported
jerf 9y ago
"Does this technology exist now?" Oh, yeah, easily. You could quite easily put together such a device yourself. Just put out a 130dB noise for someone in a frequency they can't hear. You can still damage their hearing. You can play the same game really easily with eyes, too. Put out a very, very bright light in some parts of the UV spectrum and the eye completely can't detect it, won't even close the pupil, but it'll still be damaged/destroyed. You may recognize this as "the reason why the tell you to be very careful during eclipses". I can't guarantee someone hasn't found some new "advanced" spin on this, so maybe it is an "advanced" device, but the simple case is trivial.
- united893 9y ago
  If you break into someone's home with the intention of causing irreparable damage, why not just poison them? What's the point of using a fancy high tech device? Anyhow, it sounds like a device you can't hear can damage your hearing. It also looks like a device you can't see may damage your vision. (Edit: Got downvoted, oh come-on, you guys can't take a dad-joke)
  - devrandomguy 9y ago
    A $10 PCB is so much simpler than poison. Easier to acquire, safer (for the attacker) to store and deliver, harder to recognize as a weapon (think wifi router case). And perhaps most importantly, you can include a remote kill switch in case you need to abort the op or temporarily evade an inspection. Wow, this actually is quite horrifying. Makes me want to go full cyborg.
    - riskable 9y ago
      > "you can include a remote kill switch" Just don't label it "kill switch" or people will get very confused.
    - jasonjayr 9y ago
      Many years of cartoon villains has taught me that including self-destruct buttons on any of your devices will typically cause them to be used prematurely.

Raphmedia 9y ago

Sounds that you can't hear can hurt your ears. There is nothing new there and creating such a device would be pretty easy.

Chardok 9y ago
I did not know that! It looks like anything greater than 120dB could be entirely inaudible and can lead to hearing loss. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasound#Safety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasound#Safety
- jsjohnst 9y ago
  You are misquoting the article linked, greater than 120db is definitely audible depending on the frequency and the listener. Even at the frequencies they mention (25k being the highest), those are still audible to many humans (myself included).
  - AstralStorm 9y ago
    Even when not audible this high air pressure would be painful.
gmarx 9y ago
I wouldn't be 100% certain but yes, it seems unlikely that sound could damage the part of the ear that is stimulated by the given frequency without you hearing it. It's kind of a weird story. A bunch of people lose their hearing and the first and only thought is mystery weapon? There are a lot of things, including many common medications and infections that can cause hearing loss. I wonder if they know more or less than reported

jerf 9y ago

"Does this technology exist now?" Oh, yeah, easily. You could quite easily put together such a device yourself. Just put out a 130dB noise for someone in a frequency they can't hear. You can still damage their hearing. You can play the same game really easily with eyes, too. Put out a very, very bright light in some parts of the UV spectrum and the eye completely can't detect it, won't even close the pupil, but it'll still be damaged/destroyed. You may recognize this as "the reason why the tell you to be very careful during eclipses". I can't guarantee someone hasn't found some new "advanced" spin on this, so maybe it is an "advanced" device, but the simple case is trivial.

united893 9y ago
If you break into someone's home with the intention of causing irreparable damage, why not just poison them? What's the point of using a fancy high tech device? Anyhow, it sounds like a device you can't hear can damage your hearing. It also looks like a device you can't see may damage your vision. (Edit: Got downvoted, oh come-on, you guys can't take a dad-joke)
- devrandomguy 9y ago
  A $10 PCB is so much simpler than poison. Easier to acquire, safer (for the attacker) to store and deliver, harder to recognize as a weapon (think wifi router case). And perhaps most importantly, you can include a remote kill switch in case you need to abort the op or temporarily evade an inspection. Wow, this actually is quite horrifying. Makes me want to go full cyborg.
  - riskable 9y ago
    > "you can include a remote kill switch" Just don't label it "kill switch" or people will get very confused.
  - jasonjayr 9y ago
    Many years of cartoon villains has taught me that including self-destruct buttons on any of your devices will typically cause them to be used prematurely.