An ironic thing about technology is that it is a double edged sword. If it can defend you, it can also be used to attack you. While it has given humanity several gifts, it has also caused problems and challenges, some of which are actually fatal to us.

Einstein's famous equation, E = mc^2, increased our understanding of reality manifolds yet it was the basis for the atom bomb in the second world war, which had horrendous consequences.

Since then humanity has researched on and developed all kinds of weapons, some that could even destroy our whole civilisation as we know it if things were to escalate. Maybe that's why Einstein said, "I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Humans are surprisingly adept at killing themselves and it seems like we will only get better at it. The development of directed energy weapons is in full swing and it will pave the way for more futuristic weapons.

Directed Energy Weapons

According to a recent report, the US army has granted contracts to weapons developers Northrop Grumman and Raytheon to develop directed energy weapons. These will include laser cannons.

For the past few years, we had been seeing demonstrations of these laser weapons but it seems like the US army is now really getting serious about adding them to their arsenal, handing them to soldiers in real world environment.

For starters, these energy weapons will be used to disable drones, rockets and vehicles. But continuous development may soon lead to futuristic weapons, the kind we have all seen in movies.

It's not only US though that is seeking to develop these kind of weapons. Russia, China, India and the UK are all reportedly actively developing them. Also, these weapons worlwide, are being developed for combat both on ground and in space. It seems like reality might just turn out to be like the movies.