5. The Blaster
Released in 1998, The Blaster was an in invention of South African Charl Fourie designed to discourage carjackings. In 1998, The South African city of Johannesburg had the highest rates of carjacking per capita in the world, along with murder, rape, and assault. Fourie’s invention was essentially a giant flamethrower installed under the doors of a vehicle that could shoot 5 metre (16.4 feet) long flames into the face of a would-be assailant. In the event of a carjacking the driver could flick a switch releasing the flame that Fourie claimed ‘would definitely blind the attacker but would be unlikely to kill them’. When released, the device was poorly received with only a few hundred sold. In 1999, The Blaster won the Ig Nobel Peace Prize, a parody of the real Nobel Prizes.
4. Lantern Shield
The lantern shield was a weapon used for self defence and dueling during the Italian renaissance. The lantern could temporarily blind an opponent leaving them open to a blade strike. The more elaborately designed shields even included a mechanism that would allow the user to hide or brighten the light and some even incorporated a gauntlet and blade into the shield itself.
3. The LED Incapacitator
The LED Incapacitator is a weapon similar to a flashlight that emits a series of random, bright light pulses designed to incapacitate a target by causing visual impairment and nausea. Informally known as the Pukelight due to its ability to induce vomiting, the LED Incapacitator was designed by Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) after they were awarded an $800 000 contract by the United States Department of Homeland Security. This non lethal device was envisaged to be used by police as well border patrol agents during illegal border crossings or confrontations with drug runners A prototype for the device was completed in 2007 and was intended to be released to law enforcement agencies by 2010.
2. Who Me?
Who Me? was a top secret stench weapon developed by the US during World War II. The device was small enough that it could be carried around in a pocket and designed to spray extremely volatile sulfur compounds that smelled of fecal matter. The idea was to humiliate German officers by spraying them with the compounds making them smell like shit and thus the German forces would be demoralised. The invention was short lived however, as the spray was difficult to control often covering the person doing the spraying as much as the intended target.
1. The Gay Bomb
The Gay Bomb was a theoretical weapon that a US Air Force research lab speculated about producing in 1994. The idea was to create a chemical weapon that dumped female sex pheromones over enemy troops making them sexually attracted to each other. This invention was laid to rest after Swedish researchers demonstrated that hetrosexual and homsexual men respond very differently when exposed to odours that are associated with sexual arousal thus making the idea of a gay bomb as ridiculous as it sounds.
That was the 10 strangest weapons ever invented. They are a bit of a stretch from your common BB gun from websites similar to www.onlybbguns.co.uk. Do you have any ideas for the next top secret stench weapon? Let us know!
