Boeing has filed a patent for something that could possibly be called a force field, but it's not. From the patent, it's a "Method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc."
When you have an explosion, there are some problems for humans.
- There is an explosion due to a projectile or bomb or something.
- This explosion creates two things that are bad for humans: fragments and a shockwave.
- We know how to stop fragments: armored doors and body armor.
- Shockwaves can essentially go right through armor. These shockwaves can kill a human.
So the Boeing patent is an attempt to address the problem with the shockwaves. To protect a human from an incoming shockwave, you need to either redirect it or absorb it. Either way, there need to be "something" in between the human and the shockwave. One possible "thing" is air with different density, temperature or composition of the rest of the air. A difference in air can refract the shockwave and minimize the damage.
But how do you heat up air? There are a couple of methods that Boeing suggests. You increase the air temperature with an electrical arc, a laser or a microwave generator. All of these would create a volume of hotter air that could lessen the effect of a shockwave.
Here is how things would happen with this new system.
- Boom. That was an explosion.
- Some type of sensor either detects the projectile (and estimates the impact of the shockwave) or directly detects the shockwave.
- The system then creates a hot pocket of air. How does it do this? With a laser, microwave or electrical arc.
- The shockwave is altered in some way. Human is still alive.
I know you have questions, so let me answer some (based on my own guesses).
This is just like a force field in Star Trek or Star Wars, right?
Well, no. First, I'm not sure they have force fields in Star Wars. Those are deflector shields and I'm not sure how they work. In other science fiction depictions, a force field is just like a wall of something---but not a physical wall. A force field prevents things from going through it (like a blaster bolt or projectile). Force fields are also used to hold air in a space ship when a hole is created.
This system does not do that. In fact, a projectile would go right through it. The Boeing system doesn't block anything. Another difference is that the Boeing system creates an area to deflect a shockwave in just one location on a vehicle or something. It doesn't cover the whole vehicle. Finally, this isn't a force field that is "always on." It just turns on for a short second before the shockwave impacts the human.
Does this actually work?
Well, it's a patent. I'm not sure they have actually created this thing yet so it might not be that effective.
Does this mean that we won't have Star Wars style tractor beams either?
I guess it's not exactly Star Wars style---but there is a tractor beam and it actually works. Here are some details.
So let's just wait and see what happens with this "shockwave attenuation system" and see if they can make it work.
