I wonder how agile this thing is...will the target have to be asked to stand still? It's hard to see the practical uses of such a no-doubt expensive contraption. Is that an H2(Tahoe) under there?

femtoseconds are nothing new they have been used for filming chemical reactions in the lab ! :)

I look at this thing, and all I can think about is the effect it would have on my neighbor's cat.

Wicked. I want the home version.

If you read the article they call it an IED 'neutralizer' but i'd try it on my cat before doing the neighbors.

a few things: -30 foot channels of conductivity? That's not much of a ray gun. Call me when I can shoot it from the next country. -Their name is "Ionatron"? If it's going to be that goofy, why not just go with "Illudium" and call your product a "Q35 Explosive Space Modulator"? -Geek 101: I'm not sure what you meant. A femtosecond is just a measure of time (think nanosecond, microsecond, picosecond, attosecond, etc.)

Shipping to Iraq by end of July huh, there go the firworks boo hiss.

Honestly, this thing isn't nearly as cool as the MTHEL - Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser - that has actually proven that it can shoot down multiple incoming mortar/rocket rounds. Do a search for MTHEL and you'll find the creamer in your coffee.

Where is the pocket version?

when i first looked at it, i seriously thought that it was a carboard box with wheels and a weird long thing at the front of it...like a big joke...made by some dude in alabama or something. After looking at it carefully, i have come to the conclusion that it is not fake, just silly as hell looking.

Okay, stick with me here: We now have a go-kart sized device which can rapidly emit short-distance "lightning-bolts." How far could we possibly be from having handheld device capable of emitting similar light-beams of a length comparable to, say, a saber? Okay, so maybe the power requirements would demand nothing short of a miniturized nuclear power cell, but goddamn if that wouldn't be worth it anyway. I can't be the only one who is really disappointed with the glorified glowsticks Lucas is charging 300 dollars for.

@PMonkey A ways. The problem is there is no way to stop the beam if its a laser. On the other hand if its a "magnetic bottle" containing some kind of charged plasma then maybe a little closer.

No, actually that's exactly what we don't have to worry about now. The laser (presumably) continues on indefinately in a straight line, but the electric blast or "lightning bolt" itself has a limited range.

I just hope no soldiers get slimed by a green goblin.

PMonkey: I agree that it sounds as though the range is limited, but I'll bet the target needs to be sitting on the ground so the electricity has a path to the earth. I think this device is meant to render the electronics in an IED useless, more like a big static shock than a "Q35 Explosive Space Modulator" ray gun.