Patent ID: 8677881

Claim:
A system for protecting a protected region from shock waves, the system comprising: a sensor configured to detect at least one of a hostile threat or electromagnetic radiation from an explosion from the hostile threat, the sensor programmed to predict therefrom a vector and an arrival time of a shock wave from the explosion relative to a protected region and generate a trigger signal in response thereto; an inflatable enclosure configured to retain gas in a predetermined shape when the enclosure is substantially inflated by the gas; an inflation device connected to receive the trigger signal from the sensor and connected to the inflatable enclosure, the inflation device being configured to supply the gas to the inflatable enclosure in response to the trigger signal from the sensor in time to substantially inflate the inflatable enclosure prior to the shock wave arrival, the inflatable enclosure being shaped such that, when inflated by the gas, the retained gas diminishes an effect of the shock wave on the protected region by at least one of reflecting at least a portion of the shock wave, refracting and defocusing at least a portion of the shock wave, and absorbing at least a portion of the shock wave.