How LRAD Works

No matter what creates it, sound is always made of waves. These waves move through matter, such as air, water or the ground. They interact with the matter (and, in some cases, with each other) as they go. The animation below will show you the basics of sound waves and how they travel.

Sound waves can pass through one another without much distortion or change. But in the right conditions, sound waves can change each other dramatically. For example, identical sound waves that are out of phase (their compressions and rarefactions are reversed) can cancel one another out. On the other hand, identical waves that are in phase combine their compressions and rarefactions, doubling their amplitude.

As sound waves travel, they spread out in all directions in a curved wavefront. The farther they travel from the source, the more they spread and the quieter the sound becomes. However, high-frequency waves don't spread as much as low-frequency waves. Also, waves with long wavelengths generally travel farther than ones with short wavelengths.

There are plenty of other things to learn about sound, but this is what you need to know to understand LRAD systems. We'll look at how the LRAD creates sound and takes advantage of these physical properties next.

The LRAD's job is to make sound — lots of sound. It produces a very loud sound that's audible over relatively long distances. But it's not limited to producing painful noise for use as a sonic weapon. It can also amplify voices or recordings to a level that's loud and clear but not painful or debilitating.

Instead of using one big, moving device to make all this sound, the LRAD uses lots of little ones. A speaker usually uses one rapidly moving diaphragm to make sound. The LRAD uses an array of piezoelectric transducers. A transducer is simply a device that changes one kind of energy into another kind of energy. In this case, it changes electrical impulses into sound.

A piezoelectric material is a substance that's electrically polarized permanently — it has a positively charged side and a negatively charged side. If you apply pressure to a piezoelectric material, it creates an electrical impulse. On the other hand, if you apply an electrical charge to it, its molecules move and it changes shape.

Using electrical current from a battery, generator or other source, the LRAD applies electrical charge to lots of piezoelectric transducers. The transducers rapidly change their shape and create sound waves. Applying a charge to a piezoelectric material causes it to change shape.

All of these transducers are attached to a mounting surface. They're staggered to allow more of them to fit into a smaller space. This helps the LRAD create very loud sounds — identical waves emerge from the transducers, and their amplitudes combine to create louder sounds.

In addition to creating lots of volume, these sonic weapons are also relatively directional. The sound from an LRAD, in other words, doesn't disperse as much as sounds from typical speakers. While people behind or next to the device still hear the sound, it isn't as loud. Even outside the beam of sound, the sound can still be loud. So, operators and nearby personnel often wear ear protection.

An LRAD device uses the phase of the sound waves, the size of the device and the properties of air to create more directional sound:

The result is essentially a loudspeaker that can receive input from a microphone or a recording device. It can then amplify that input, allowing law enforcement officers and military personnel to give instructions and warnings or to clear buildings and disperse crowds.

If those verbal instructions don't produce a result, the LRAD can produce a loud warning tone that approaches or passes the threshold of pain. When used to cause pain or disorientation, the LRAD is a non-lethal weapon. Next, we'll look at the pros and cons of using LRAD in this manner.

The LRAD Corporation developed the LRAD after the attack on the USS Cole in 2000. Its original purpose was to help enforce the safe zones around United States military vessels. Using the LRAD's default settings, a ship's crew can warn a craft that it's approaching a military ship and must change course.

When used for communication, it's loud and clear but usually not painful. If the craft doesn't change course, however, the ship's crew can override the LRAD's default settings. The LRAD then produces a loud, irritating, potentially painful noise that acts as a deterrent. Ideally, the craft would then leave the area without the ship having to use lethal force.

Police departments and land-based military units have found uses for Long Range Acoustic Devices. Authorities like police forces can give warnings and instructions that are audible to a large group of people. They can even use the devices to order crowds to disperse.

Human rights groups and hearing specialists alike have raised concerns about the LRAD. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), any sound over 75 db can damage a person's hearing. That means the LRAD can threaten the hearing of anyone in its path, regardless of whether there is any wrongdoing, even when used strictly for communication.

Like stun guns, tear gas and less-lethal ammunition, an LRAD can be used in crowd control and other situations as a non-lethal weapon. Non-lethal weapons are somewhat controversial, though. Human rights groups stress that even though they are less lethal, they are still weapons and have caused deaths in some circumstances.

The LRAD in particular has drawn criticism since its effects can include permanent hearing loss and the effects of non-lethal weapons are supposed to be temporary. Finally, some people have questioned the LRAD's effectiveness, since wearing simple ear protection can render it useless.