Aerospace and trademark company Boeing has been granted patent by US Patent and Trademark Office for a force field like device, this could be the one which was used in star wars film.

The system would be able to detect the shockwaves from nearby explosion and create plasma field of protection between the blast and the vehicle and this would protect the vehicle from any damage.

The patent says, “Explosive devices are being used increasingly in asymmetric warfare to cause damage and destruction to equipment and loss of life. The majority of the damage caused by explosive devices results from shrapnel and shock waves.”

“The method works by heating a selected region of the first fluid medium rapidly to create a second, transient medium that intercepts the shockwave and attenuates its energy density before it reaches a protected asset” said Boeing.

It works by a combination of sensors and lasers. The sensor would detect the nearby explosion and the laser would create a buffer for the shock waves to hit.

The laser would ionize the small area between the target and explosion; this creates a plasma field of different density, temperature and composition of surrounding air.

The plasma field absorbs/refracts/reflects the shockwaves. So it will not stop a projectile directly but it would stop the shockwaves protecting the target.