It is claimed that the Serbian government used a sound weapon against protesters: What is this device?

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has denied that his police used a "sonic weapon," which is illegal, to scatter protesters in Belgrade.

In a statement, he said, "I have had the opportunity to see this weapon abroad, and it emits a strong, piercing sound." There was no such noise in the streets of Belgrade on Saturday night, March 15.

Serbia is currently witnessing widespread protests against Vucic and his government over a variety of issues, including allegations of widespread corruption and nepotism. The types, health effects, and operation of sonic weapons are all covered in this article.

What is a sonic weapon?

Acoustic or sonic weapons are devices that produce incredibly loud sounds over long distances. They can be programmed to emit unpleasant or inaudible sound waves. By serving as voice amplifiers, these devices can also be used to send audio messages or other sounds.

Despite being around for millennia, sound amplifiers have been used for crowd control since the early 1990s. In Iraq in 2004, the U.S. military used specialized equipment that could project loud noises over long distances for the first time.

What is the operation of acoustic weapons?

Such weapons usually use hundreds of modern transducers, electrical devices that change the form of energy, to create highly concentrated and amplified sound.

What types of sonic weapons are available?

1. The long-range acoustic device (LRAD) is manufactured by Genasys Inc., a US-based company that was formerly known as the LRAD Corporation. It produces a concentrated "beam" of extremely loud sound that can reach up to 160 decibels (dB), and it has an 8,900-meter speech-intelligible range.

On the other hand, standing directly behind a jet engine during takeoff produces between 130 and 140 dB, while a nearby gunshot produces roughly 150 dB. A study published in The Conversation states that "even brief exposure to sounds exceeding 120 dB can induce lasting hearing impairment, but most people will experience pain from noise levels over 140 dB."

2. Mosquito: This device produces extremely high-pitched sounds that are only audible to younger people, usually teenagers and those in their twenties, and cause discomfort. Individuals over the age of thirty are unaffected.

A more modern tool known as an infrasonic weapon can generate inaudible, ultra-low-frequency noises that have the capacity to inflict pain and confusion. Experts are currently studying its powers.

"It's probably the hardest to weaponize infrasonic devices," Parker told CNN. There are (sonic) weapons, but none that I know of use infrasound.

How do sonic weapons impact a person's health?

These weapons have the potential to seriously harm the eardrums and other delicate organs, as well as cause hearing loss. Earplugs can reduce noise levels by 20 to 30 decibels, but this may not be enough to stop major damage. The impact depends on a person's distance from the sound, duration of exposure, and underlying health conditions.

After being exposed to loud noises like those made by LRAD, tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, can last for minutes or even days.Additional symptoms of sound damage include headaches, nausea, sweating, dizziness, and loss of equilibrium.