Photos: Researchers cook up microwave weapon

The military's Active Denial Technology, being tested at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, uses a millimeter wave beam of energy that's intended to make people feel an intense burning sensation--without causing permanent injury.

The millimeter wave technology could go mobile on modified Humvees or other vehicles for use in crowd control. The so-called VMADS (Vehicle Mounted Active Denial System) rigs have been considered for deployment in Iraq.

The technology is also being considered for use in protecting Department of Energy nuclear facilities. Here, two researchers at Sandia National Laboratories fine-tune a smaller version of the Active Denial System.

A close-up of the small ADS gear. The directed-energy weapon uses a 95GHz electromagnetic beam that penetrates approximately 1/64 of an inch into the skin.