The ghost story that changed the world of sonic weapons
Talking about sonic weapons would make most people think that you’re talking about some sci-fi concept ripped straight from the script of a lesser spotted Star Wars project.
For good reason, too. In what possible world would a sonic weapon actually do much good? Surely you can’t do much damage with soundwaves?
Well, anyone who’s taken in a My Bloody Valentine or Sunn O))) gig (or tended bar while Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’ was the biggest song in the world) might think differently. Besides, an effective sonic weapon could neutralise enemy operatives while keeping collateral damage at a minimum, and governments keep saying that collateral damage is something they care about, so that must be the case!
However, what can be achieved by deploying soundwaves as a weapon goes far beyond deafening an enemy with harsh volumes. No, generating just the right frequency can make another person’s body do absolutely baffling things, and no, I’m not just talking about the brown note myth. Instead, I’m talking about the concept of infrasound, where soundwaves can resonate with organs in the human body in just the right way that the strangest things can happen.
Ironically enough for a term so profoundly rooted in the world of science fiction, the first instance of infrasound comes from someone in the exact opposite world. Someone who was researching the paranormal world of ghosts and just so happened to stumble upon a discovery that people are trying to use to change the world of warfare to this very day.
“Who was this person?” I hear you cry. A paranormal researcher and university lecturer by the name of Vic Tandy.
So, how did a ghost story lead to sonic discovery?
The story begins in the early 1980s, when Tandy was working in a laboratory as part of a medical manufacturing company.
During one late night at the lab, Tandy realised that he was feeling absolutely horrific. Now, you might think this was simply due to working late; we’ve all been there, but this was something very different. In Tandy’s words, “I was sweating but cold, and the feeling of depression was noticeable – but there was also something else. It was as though something was in the room with me.”
Tandy then saw a grey figure out of the corner of his eye, one that, once he turned to see it, had disappeared. He bolted from the lab immediately. The next day, Tandy was (and this is not a joke) polishing one of his fencing swords when he noticed something was making the blade quiver without him touching it. This got him thinking about infrasound waves and whether something in the lab was vibrating in just the right frequency to mess with him.
He investigated the lab and found that a recently installed extractor fan was vibrating at 19Hz, just enough to cause an intense negative emotional reaction and make his eyeballs vibrate enough to distort his vision. The combination of nerves, psychological distress and tears to his vision came together to make Tandy think he’d seen a fully fledged ghost apparition. He immediately got to work on a paper that contained his findings, one that has been cited in research into sonic weaponry.
So you see, ghosts don’t just live in the realm of fantasy anymore!