Non-lethal

This advance would seem to embody the essential question of all technological change – how will we flawed humans use our new toy?

On one hand, the beam of pain will surely save lives – of our troops, innocent civilians, and the "bad guys". Put to good use, it could give soldiers and peacekeepers a desparately needed option "between a bullet and a bullhorn".

On the other hand, history, recent included, teaches that it will also, at some point, be used to purposefully inflict pain without the risk of long-term injury. A better tool of oppression and torture would be hard to think of.

When these become pistol-sized and available on the blackmarket, we might all need to trade in our tinfoil hats for tinfoil jumpsuits.