Flasher
Flashers are a largely discontinued technology that exploited the hardwired nerve pathways in some genetic groups of Humaniti. A high intensity flash lamp was pulsed in a computer-generated rhythm, and focused by a small parabolic mirror. Many people looking in the direction of the weapon would be overcome by dizziness or nausea, which would pass almost immediately once the exposure stopped. Common use of the weapon was to deploy them in large numbers for crowd control. Certain segments of any population would be tolerat of the effect, but certain ethnic gene pools could be targeted with a specific frequency that affected them more, with numerous recorded uses by repressive governments against ethnic minorities. Expansion of the human gene pool through interstellar travel during the Second Imperium homogenized most populations to the point that flashers can no longer hage the severely debilitating effects on select populations that have been historically recorded.
Flashers have a cone of effect 5m wide per 10m of range. The flasher is capable of rendering a person unconscious. The battery pack is good for about 30 minutes of continuous use and can be recharged. The hand-held version weighs 3.0 kg and costs Cr800.