UN torture expert accuses private firms of making ever more cruel instruments

“It works by heating the water molecules in the top 1/64-of-an-inch layer of the skin,” said Marine Corps spokesman Maj. David Andersen.

According to reports, a 2-second burst from the system can heat the skin to a temperature of 130° F. Elsewhere, the AFRL describes the sensation as similar to touching an ordinary light bulb that has been left on for a while. “Unlike a light bulb, however,” says the AFRL fact sheet, “active-denial technology will not cause rapid burning, because of the shallow penetration of the beam and the low levels of energy used.”

Edit (me, not the article): I'm not saying that this information is necessarily true, this is just some info I found that was at the top of the search results, from 22 years ago, that I put no effort into fact-checking with other sources. And I wouldn't be surprised if they're used for crowd control, but I don't know. But the second half of the parent comment seems to be accurate.

The capital military police and the border patrol have both inquired about using these millimeter wave weapons. Both were rejected [1]. The weapons were considered but also rejected for use in Iraq and Afghanistan [2].

In 2010, a prison made news by installing such a weapon, a move opposed by the ACLU [3]. It is unclear if it was ever used.

[1] https://www.npr.org/2020/09/16/913748800/military-police-lea...

[2] https://news.yahoo.com/the-secret-troubled-history-of-the-mi...

[3] https://www.aclu.org/news/national-security/dont-let-militar...

> Edwards said some of these items are being developed by companies looking “to make their mark in the industry”.