Plasma Shield Becomes Reality According To China

Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Pulsed Power Laser Technology at the National University of Defence Technology in China have developed tech that protects the sensitive circuitry of their drones from electromagnetic fields of up to 170 kilowatts at a distance of just under 10 feet.

The plasma shield is said to consume very little energy, making the mass production of these shields a viable option if and when scientists are capable of scaling the technology up to usable standards.

The lead researcher behind the team of scientists, Chen Zongsheng, stated that his team felt pressured to complete construction on the plasma shield’s prototypes due to American advancements in science and technology.

Military forces worldwide have continued to strengthen the defense of their high-tech weapons and devices in recent years. Warfare continues to pull away from putting boots on the ground and focuses instead on drones and cybernetics.

The news of these plasma shields comes from the South China Morning Post, which reported last week that the Chinese military have developed the first functional energy-based shields.

If the fields work as intended, they should prevent harmful microwave rays from permeating military chips which control certain elements of the drone such as flight, altitude, and speed.

Microwaves have been used to down drones in the past, resulting in devastating financial losses to the respective governments in control of the pilotless crafts.

Scientists and science fiction writers alike have long held the position that plasma shields could be constructed out of pure energy to protect advanced chips from external threats. But no team has ever been able to make such a shield function in practice until now.

This is especially true of shields that shroud objects traveling at massive altitudes and incredibly fast speeds, such as military drones.

While the technology has not progressed enough just yet to send a drone barreling into enemy territory with an invisible forcefield around it, this preliminary work will serve as the basis for such construction in the future.

The plasma shield functions by taking charged particles from electromagnetic waves and absorbing incoming energy from foreign waves.

If the energy persists, the plasma density increases, hardening in commiserate strength to the attacking force, and mirroring the force back from whence it came.

The technology functions similarly to the Black Panther suit utilized in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which absorbs punches, gunshots, and blunt force trauma, before redistributing the force back outwards at the hero’s attacker.

The United States already tout some of the most advanced and powerful weaponry in the history of the world, both with nuclear capability and boundary-pushing microchip operations which instill fear and inspiration in other nations.

According to Chen, Chinese officials have begun to fear the possibility of America’s electromagnetic tech being used in airspace blockades, especially now that the country plans to put men on the moon for the first time in their nation’s history.

China and other burgeoning global superpowers, such as India, have increased their focus on science, tech, and space exploration in recent years, as part of an ongoing effort to establish themselves as key players on the global stage.

While scientists worldwide are generally happy to collaborate without borders, government interests have historically been known to kneecap their opponents in competitive gestures such as the space race, making tech such as the plasma shield highly necessary.

Source: Interesting Engineering