Boeing has recently patented plasma shield technology in the style of "Star Wars", "Halo" and "Star Trek".
Dubbed as "Method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc", this technology was designed to minimize the damage caused by shockwaves of a nearby impact, such as from an explosion. As reported by Engadget, shockwaves from a blast can be as damaging as shrapnel.
The technology is activated when it detects a nearby shockwave-causing explosion. This causes the system to generate a magnetic field, ionizing a small region on the surface of whatever item it is protecting, forming a plasma shield. This works much like the shield generator that Batman uses in the animated short film "Field Test" from "Batman: Gotham Knight."
The plasma layer is radically different in temperature and density from the surrounding environment, providing a buffer that would prevent the shockwaves from ever reaching the target, reports CNet. As the patent itself reads, it creates "a second, transient medium that intercepts the shockwave and attenuates its energy density before it reaches a protected asset."
However, the resulting plasma shield will also block off light from reaching the protected target, which means anyone being protected by the shield will be unable to see through it. The plasma field also takes a lot of energy to sustain for long, so the system would have to be triggered in precisely the right time to be effective. Still, the development of such a system represents a huge leap in defense technology.