Gunshots that arent: Exploring the Use of Artificial Sound in Military, Law Enforcement Activity

Stock photo, courtesy of Freepik.com

Engineers at the Air Force Research Lab’s Munitions Directorate wanted to explore the idea of using replicated gunshots for military and possible civilian law-enforcement use.

Real life - logistics, tactics, and strategy - limit the options of the firearms operator with regard to enemy engagement. The existence of a device that can accurately replicate gunshot acoustic signatures to change the offensive or defensive dynamic present interesting advantages for our operators. Such a device would increase effectiveness and safety of the operator; increase mission impact; reduced ammunition expenditures.

They engaged Wright Brothers Institute’s Rapid Prototyping team for ideas and possible applications. The WBI team quickly pulled together a half-day workshop, inviting police officers from local jurisdictions, AFRL engineers, and experts from the Great Lakes Biomimicry, an entrepreneurial non-profit based in Cleveland that helps organizations learn from nature to accelerate innovation.

Not surprisingly, the diversity of participants brought out a wide range of ideas as the group listened to particular needs of law enforcement, for example, and how they differed from military.

Crowd control, confusing the enemy, influencing behavior, creating a diversion without starting a conflict: These and other topics contributed to a lively discussion that resulted in WBI’s team planning a trip to the Kettering (Ohio) Police Department training facilities to collect more information and, undoubtedly, expand the idea of what’s possible.