What is a Strobe Light? Is it dangerous? What happens to the eye when it gets "strobed"?

A strobe light is not the same light as an arc or a welder's flash. Corneal flash burns are a painful ocular condition. It is also referred to as an arc flash (or arc blast). The event is a type of electronic explosion that results from a low impedance connection to the ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system. A typical commercial strobe light has a flash energy in the region of 10 to 150 joules and has a discharge time shorter than a few milliseconds, often resulting in a flash power of several kilowatts. Larger strobe lights can be used in "continuous" mode, thereby producing extremely intense illumination. This type is much more dangerous than the patent strobe technology of CenturioLight. You know it is a great technology if you get feedback a suspect telling you "Wow, man! I could not see anything!!" This technology can definitely save a police officer's life, day or night. Strobe lighting can trigger seizures in photosensitive epileptic people. Most of the strobe lights on sale to the public are factory-limited to about 10-12 flashes per second in their internal oscillators, whereas externally- triggered strobe lights will often flash as frequently as possible. At a frequency of 10 Hz, 65% of affected people are still at risk. The British Health and Safety Executive recommends that the flash-rate for strobe lights not exceed 5 flashes per second, a level at which only 5% of photosensitive epileptics are at risk. It also recommends that no strobing effect continue for more than 30 seconds due to the potential for discomfort and disorientation.

Physiology of the Eye

Let us review a few basic parts of the eye that are important to understand, what a strobe is, and what happens when the eyes get "strobed". The eye has the ability to adjust itself very quickly to a steady light. Therefore, the advantage to blind the attacking person gets lost. It becomes harder for the eye to fix on a target behind the light or to determine the distance to the source. The light can thus be used as a protective "shield".

Anti-personnel non-lethal directed-energy weapons are completely different than our Centurio LLLW "Lightning Less-Lethal Weapon" systems.

What are these devices?

Anti-personnel non-lethal directed-energy weapons include lasers, high-power electro-magnetic pulse, and directional acoustic devices. One of the systems currently in use is the handheld or weapon-mounted low-power device using a 250-milliwatt, 532nm green laser. When directed at the target, the laser’s beam temporarily expands to generate a blinding light which penetrates smoke and fog at twice the range of white light. Modulation of such high-intensity light causes disorientation and a dazzle/blink reaction that reduces the target’s activities. Such a weapon could be used to disorient and degrade performance of potential threats, such as snipers or subjects armed with RPG launchers.

Centurio’s Comment:

The laser systems work without question, but are they a non-lethal technology? Well, Centurio and many other experts around the world agree that in the recent past, citizens have used civilian green and red laser-pointers (which can be bought in toy shops) to aim at aircraft! Read below the report about the civilian laser which was a tool to aim a aircraft. The report comes from a website which is pro-lasers for civilians to own. (www.laserpointersafety.com).

NEVER aim laser pointers at aircraft! It is unsafe, you may be arrested, and you may help get laser pointers banned. Here’s why you should NEVER aim a laser pointer at an airplane or helicopter: it is dangerous for the pilot and it is illegal.

Distracting or flash-blinding pilots is dangerous. When a laser beam is focused on an aircraft, pilots see a flash of light. This can be distracting at best. Worse, the light can be so bright that it causes glare (pilots can’t see past the light) or temporary flashblindness. Additionally, some pilots have thought a laser gunsight was being aimed at them so they have taken evasive action during take-off or landing. You may be arrested  Laser users are frequently arrested for aiming the devices at airplanes or helicopters. It is surprisingly easy to locate these people. And authorities have taken laser incidents more seriously. If a civilian laser with only a 5-milliwatt laser pointer is so powerful you can aim a it at an aircraft at 1,200 feet or more, what will be happen to your eyes if you get shot with a 250- milliwatt of 532nm green-laser? Centurio believes in the strobe technology that we call LLLW “Lightning Less-Lethal Weapons” which is a completely different scientific principle than the anti-personnel non-lethal directed-energy weapon. Is the Centurio LLLW system really non-lethal? The answer is “It is like any weapon. Any less-lethal weapon that is used improperly can quickly become a lethal weapon”. That is why Centurio always has advocated product training for military and police. Don’t think that a LLLW system is just a light and cannot injure the attacker. It can be possible that if not correctly used, it can — but no one can be blinded by only the flash hitting their eyes.