Prison guards could soon stop fights with a harmless tool that shoots a laser-like beam, video game-style, down into a room where trouble is brewing. The Assault Intervention Device (AID), funded by the National Institute of Justice, is still large and unrefined but will soon be installed for trial in at least one prison, the Pitchess Detention Center in Los Angeles County.

The AID directs an energy beam, which is in the invisible millimeter wavelength, that penetrates just deep enough beneath the skin to make the target's pain receptors shout. The sensation is a burn like touching a hot stove or an iron. It only lasts up to 3 seconds – the AID controls automatically shut the beam off to prevent shooting for longer without resetting the trigger finger. The beam can hit a target about 100 feet away, and is about as wide as a CD.

According to Raytheon, the device's manufacturers, it causes no actual damage to nerves or skin. This video shows the sharp reflex caused by an AID hit, and the unscathed hit receivers.

If you watched, you probably also noticed how big and clunky that device is. Indeed, it stands at seven and a half feet tall and is controlled by joysticks. The shooter aims using a computer screen linked to the device. Seems like it would be an easy transition from Xbox user to AID shooter.

Though it's better than the current options, batons or pepper spray, Cmdr. Bob Osborne of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tells TechNewsDaily that its efficacy still needs to be proven in real assault situations before anyone should bother making it smaller and easier to use. I wonder, if it could eventually become hand held, would this compete with Tasers?

Photo: Reuters/Corbis