Best Tactical Defense: A History of the Strobe Mode
here’s always a bit of debate going on as to whether the strobe mode on a flashlight is really worth it. In my opinion, it is absolutely worth it and at the very least, having a strobe mode on a flashlight doesn’t hurt. Today, I wanted to talk about the history of the strobe function that I hope many of you will find interesting!
In the 1950s, Dr. Bucha (his first name has been lost, sadly) was asked to investigate a series of unexplained helicopter crashes. When questioning the surviving pilots, he found an interesting phenomenon. The pilots described feeling dizzy and disoriented when they looked up into the sky with the rotors spinning above. The rotor blades caused the sunlight to strobe the pilots thus making them lose control of the helicopters. Ever since this discovery, the strobing effect is known as the Bucha effect or flicker vertigo.
Image found on http://littleton-acupuncture.com/dizziness-and-vertigo-treatable/
So what’s actually happening when a person is strobed? The disorientation comes from a temporary visual imprint caused by exposure to high intensity light flickering. The visual imprint varies with the light level or duration/frequency of exposure to the strobing. So the light frequencies are affecting the brain and the brain is unable to adjust to the frequencies.
So if you strobe someone with a tactical flashlight, it forces their brain to receive visual information in segments thus creating visual imprints that the brain is trying to put together to create a full image. As the strobing continues, the brain will contine to struggle to put together an entire image. Also, the strobing light will shock and temporarily impair an individual’s vision.
With this in mind, a strobe mode on a tactical flashlight can definitely be worth it. Not only do you have a strobe mode, but tactical flashlights will usually have a defense bezel that you can use if an attacker is close up on you. However, if they’re a little further away a strobe mode would help you in this extreme situation. At the very least, even if you don’t have a strobe mode on your flashlight, you can still blind an assailant by turning the light directly in his eyes. What are your thoughts on the strobe mode as a defense tool?
References
http://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/articles/2010/06/how-to-use-a-strobing-flashlight.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flicker_vertigo