The US Department of Defense (DoD) is working on a wearable sensor to detect the use of invisible radio-frequency weapons on people, suggesting that the US is concerned about recent alleged microwave attacks, none of which have been proven.
Such attacks began with the so-called ”Havana syndrome” experienced by US embassy personnel in Cuba in 2017. Recently, more reports emerged of , and . People reported to have Havana syndrome described a loud grating sound, followed by hearing loss, memory loss, nausea and other effects. Brain scans suggested that some had suffered traumatic brain injury.
A US National Academy of Sciences report in 2020 . Some people suggest that the real culprit might be a form of mass hysteria or possibly neurotoxic poisoning from pesticides.
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Now it has emerged that the DoD is taking the threat seriously. It is to develop a sensor to identify radio-frequency attacks. The wearable device will record exposure to harmful levels of electromagnetic energy and provide an alert, similar to existing detectors that warn US soldiers of nerve agents and other chemical attacks. The DoD didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The sensor will alert troops to take defensive measures, such as taking cover, as well as helping in the diagnosis of radio-frequency exposure injuries. It will be sensitive across a wide range of frequencies, from around 300 MHz up to 40 GHz, corresponding to wavelengths of between 1 metre and 7.5 millimetres, a range that includes microwaves.
The project plan notes that an attack powerful enough to affect humans may also disrupt electronics, so the sensor will need to be hardened against high-intensity fields. The device should be no larger than an ammunition pouch (roughly 15 by 8 by 3 centimetres), and inexpensive enough to be issued widely, says the project specification.
James Lin at the University of Chicago has carried out research on biological effects of radio and microwave frequencies for decades. He has suggested that Havana syndrome could be explained by pulsed microwaves, and believes a wearable sensor could settle the matter.
“I think it is doable for the relevant microwave frequency ranges,” says Lin. “There are sufficient concerns and interest for the government to want to explore and invest in it.”
However, while a sensor might be able to confirm that such an attack had taken place, it wouldn’t necessarily give much of a clue as to the location of the source. “Bigger and more sophisticated apparatus would be required for range or a more precise localisation,” says Lin.
at the University of California, Los Angeles, says there is no evidence that microwave weapons exist. “This has all of the characteristic features of mass psychogenic illness,” he says.
To Baloh, the sensor project appears to validate the microwave attack theory and may simply increase the chances that people will believe they are experiencing such attacks. Rather than developing a sensor, he believes the DoD should be listening to psychologists.
“The absolute first step is to accept that mass psychogenic illness is a possible cause and to have experts, people who understand the condition, involved. At the present time that’s not happening,” he says.
The DoD is seeking contractors to work on the design requirements for a sensor, with prototype testing probably about a year away. If successfully developed, the sensor could be commercialised for industrial and scientific staff who could be accidentally exposed to high power radio-frequency sources, says the project specification.
