The personnel halting and stimulation response rifle (PHASR) is a prototype non-lethal laser dazzler developed by the US Department of Defense.

Its purpose is to temporarily disorient and blind a target.

Blinding laser weapons have been tested in the past, but were banned under the 1995 UN Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, which the United States acceded to on 21 January 2009. The PHASR rifle, a low-intensity laser, is not prohibited under this regulation, as the blinding effect is intended to be temporary. It also uses a two-wavelength laser

    • FireTower@lemmy.worldOPM
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      9 months ago

      It’d depend on the class of the laser pointer. Class 1 laser pointers would be safe to point at someone’s eyes but higher classes range from situationally harmful with prolonged exposure to instant damage.

      • StorminNorman@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        9 months ago

        I mean, yeah. But we’re talking about a dollar store here. They literally give no shits about any of that…