Russia Announces the Shuttlecock Machine Gun - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.

Rowdy riot goers in Russia may want to be on their best behavior with the introduction of the Shuttlecock machine gun.

It is a unique, non-lethal weapon that will fire an object similar to badminton shuttles or more widely known as birdies, with enough force to knock someone off their feet. In the past, police have used water cannons, stun guns and tear gas to deal with violent riot protests. The new gun is housed in a truck, resembling a moving cannon that shoots the birdies weighing anywhere from 5 to 30 grams and traveling at upward speed of 60 units a minute. The recipient’s pain was compared to being whacked by a belt or kicked by a horse depending on the force used.

The U.S. recently demonstrated the non-lethal Active Denial System, an energy-based weapon with a penetrating beam that feels like a burn but is considered completely safe. The Vortex Ring Gun is a non-lethal gun that shoots a supersonic cloud of gas with the capability to knock a target to the ground.