Anti-Weed Ray Guns

The US Air Force is really upset about weeds. Danger Room:

Every so often, the Air Force asks small businesses for research proposals on a dizzying array of topics. The most recent list includes 160 projects, one of which is titled “Floral Disruptor – Directed Energy Weed Abatement and Prevention Tool”. The objective: “Develop a device that uses directed energy technology to prevent and abate unwanted plants (weeds) in areas that require control or defoliation. The purpose of this system will be the removal of unwanted plants and keep seeds from germinating.” . . .

The military spends millions of dollars on weed control every year, and they’re looking for someone who can make the unwanted plants go away for good. Someone with an idea for a clover-zapping laser cannon. . . .

As ridiculous as it may sound to suggest weeding with directed energy, an Air Force representative told Danger Room that they’re not asking anyone to reinvent the wheel. They’ve looked into the idea enough to believe it’s feasible and, perhaps, even practical:

Every year millions of dollars are spent on weed control in and around military installations. Weed control and abatement can either be performed chemically; by applying poisonous herbicides, or mechanically; by mowing or tilling. Herbicides can be grouped by activity, use, chemical family, mode of action, or type of vegetation controlled. Herbicide use generally has negative impacts on bird populations, although the impacts are highly variable and often require extensive field studies to predict accurately. Having a cost effective device that eliminates the use of herbicides or reduces the amount of machinery could extensively save money and protect wildlife at the same time. Private industry has been actively engaged in the research, development, and deployment of various physical control technologies utilizing microwave radiation (as heat), lasers, and sound to deter, disrupt, deny, or degrade the desired objective. Thermal technologies such as foam, hot water, steam and quenched hot gases to physically rupture cell membranes within young, vigorous green weeds to shut down the plant’s capacity for photosynthesis, has been explored as a means for safe, effective weed control . The technological challenge is to develop a device that would effectively destroy weeds in various growth stages from seeds to maturity using some form of directed energy in designated areas.