US special forces tool up with 'plasma blades'

America's top-secret elite commando forces have been field-testing a "plasma knife" - a handheld unit which generates a cutting "blade" of glowing ions. Disappointingly for any wouldbe kimono-clad combat mystics out there, the handheld energy cutlass isn't intended for hand to hand combat and can't be used for parrying …

[Ian Yates]

I'm not a doctor, but...

While bleeding to death is definitely not a good thing, surely not bleeding at a point of a cut isn't that great either?

Maybe I misunderstood, but if they're cutting people open to perform surgery, how are they intending to get the "wound" to heal? Seems like an infection nightmare...

[Anonymous Coward]

@Ian Yates

No you aren't a doctor...

[Chimpofdoom!]

RE: I'm not a doctor, but...

Basically the whole idea is that you cut them open to remove any foreign objects aka bullets, shards from shrapnel etc etc, using the plasma blade would make this job a hundred times easier than using a conventional scalpel (namely because the blood flow can hide it), if they aren't removed they get infected and well you know the rest.

[H 5]

Causterisation

Less bleeding during surgery means a surgeon can actually see what the hell hes doing, you need to get the blood out of the way - field medics are less liky to have equipment and qualified assisntants to swab and suction blood away.

As for infection , you;ve just nuked the bacteria with an effing plasma field. Can't get much more sterile than "consumed by fire".

The wound will heal because only a very thin layer of tissue is cauterised - theyre not BBQing the wound. Burns heal don't they?

Light-Saber Penknives ftw.

[goggyturk]

Solid snake

Now all they need is the OctoCamo suit...

Mine's the one with the Eastern European face camo enabled.

[Falanx]

Honour, guide me....

Ah, a weapon after a Zealot's heart...

[Anonymous Coward]

For shame

not a Halo style covenant energy sword then.

[Anonymous Coward]

Your powers are weak old man...

So how long until two SOCOM medics back at base after a long days' special-ops schenanigans decide to re-enact Star Wars? Or maybe they're more Ghostbusters fans. What happens when you cross the streams?

[Graham Marsden]

But...

... is it less clumsy and random than a scalpel...?

[lukewarmdog]

re-enactment

I also forsee many "it's only a flesh wound" comedy moments when surgeon snake whips your arms and legs off. "That's stopped the bleeding, now see if you can bite me to death".

[Michael 82]

Yes my master...

Not exactly a light saber yet then? booooooo

Mines the one with the rebuiltt light saber in the pocket.

[regadpellagru]

Starcraft 2 is coming ...

"Disappointingly for any wouldbe kimono-clad combat mystics out there, the handheld energy cutlass isn't intended for hand to hand combat ..."

Shame, really. 2 of these and a protoss suit, they would be really fearsome against the Zerg swarm.

[RTNavy]

Torture??

Another use would be "field torture", and maybe even safe tattoos?

[Simon Harris]

Not exactly a light sabre!

The plasma is only around the edge of the blade.

Here's a nice (if you're into that sort of thing!) video of the plasma scalpel in action:

http://www.peaksurgical.com/video/plasmablade.cfm

[Anonymous Coward]

is it just me?

Or was anyone else reading the title as:

Light Sabre comes to battle...

[Scott 26]

For Adun!

how much text do I need to type here to get it to submit!?!??!?!

[Pablo]

@Simon Harris

Ewwww.

But I guess that's kind of the point. If I had to make slits in a corpse I'd want to use the PlamaBlade™ too. The other two options were definitely worse.