«Active Denial System» sounds like a bad customer experience

The Active Denial System (ADS) is a less-lethal, directed-energy weapon developed by the U.S. military. It is a strong millimeter-wave transmitter primarily used for crowd control (the “goodbye effect”). Some ADS such as HPEM ADS are also used to disable vehicles. Informally, the weapon is also called pain ray. Raytheon is currently marketing a reduced-range version of this technology. The ADS is currently being considered for deployment in the Iraq War.

A spokesman for the Air Force Research Laboratory described his experience as a test subject for the system:

“For the first millisecond, it just felt like the skin was warming up. Then it got warmer and warmer and you felt like it was on fire…. As soon as you’re away from that beam your skin returns to normal and there is no pain.”