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US Special Forces Field-Testing Plasma Knife
Emergency medical care for soldiers wounded on the battlefield has come a long way since Hawkeye and Hot Lips. But for Special Forces troopers operating deep behind enemy lines, that care often remains out of reach. Blood loss in particular makes seconds count, and imperils commandos operating far away from friendly bases. To help with the problem of blood loss from traumatic wounds, the military has started field-testing a device more Mandalorian than M.A.S.H.: a plasma knife. The knife, whose blade consists of heated, ionized gas, cuts through flesh just as easily a steel scalpel, but also cauterizes the wound. By sealing off the damaged flesh, the plasma knife protects against infection, and stops the bleeding that imperils the wounded soldier. Think the crispy stump of Luke's severed hand, and you'll get the picture. For now, the plasma blade remains a life-saving device, not a weapon. But I think it goes without saying that we all look forward to the day when the military converts this technology into a more elegant weapon, for a more civilized time
Originally posted by JCMinJapan
The containment of the light would be a problem as mentioned, but think if you made one, you could have a 1 km killer one though. You swing it around and take out half the block... ha ha
Originally posted by Pervius
Todays new plasma cutters to cut metal now have a circuit allowing you to turn the gas into a plasma.....before getting near what you want to cut.
You can push the button and have a plasma torch to wave around....
I'd say it's 100% possible to have a handheld device that would release a gas out, turn it into a plasma with high voltage.
You could probably build your own device for about $10,000, but it would only have a plasma "blade" of 1 foot long.....but it's a start.
You'd have to find out what gasses give you the best plasma "blade" with the least energy.