--- title: "Skeptic Builds “Havana Syndrome”-Style Device, Tests It on Himself, Suffers Grim Consequences" description: "A skeptical Norwegian government scientist turned a microwave energy weapon on his own brain, with perhaps predictable results." date: "2026-02-18" modified: "2026-02-18" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/weapon-havana-syndrome-scientist" categories: - "Brain" - "Health & Medicine" - "Military" - "Science & Energy" --- # Skeptic Builds “Havana Syndrome”-Style Device, Tests It on Himself, Suffers Grim Consequences ![A red dart is stuck in the center of a yellow human ear, which is placed on a black and blue target board with concentric circles and numbers.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images* One of the strangest stories in contemporary statecraft refuses to go away. New reporting [by the *Washington Post*]() revealed that a Norwegian government scientist has been secretly working on a pulse-energy weapon, an approximation of the fabled "Havana syndrome" gun, which may or may not even exist. Specifically, the weapon was described as a device capable of emitting powerful pulses of microwave energy. Here's where things get truly weird. In 2024, after the unnamed scientist had presumably produced a working unit, he became skeptical of its efficacy. So he did what any self-respecting man of science would do, and turned the weapon on himself in an attempt to demonstrate microwave weapons are harmless, *WaPo* reported. The result was unfortunately pretty gnarly. Instead of proving the tech to be harmless, the weapon did what it was built to do, scrambling the man's brain and bringing on a host of "neurological symptoms" associated with the infamous Havana syndrome, four people with knowledge of the event told *WaPo*. Though the medical community has [no precise working definition]() of Havana syndrome — preferring the term "Anomalous Health Incidents" — these fabled symptoms experienced by [US and Canadian embassy staff]() in Havana, Cuba are said to include head or ear pain, loss of balance or dizziness, insomnia, confusion, brain fog, emotional distress, and nausea. Never ones to waste an opportunity, the event spurred at least two separate visits from CIA and US State Department apparatchiks, according to *WaPo*. That may have something to do with a [2024 Department of Homeland Security operation]() to buy a pulsed-radio weapon for eight-figures, news of which broke earlier this year. It's just the latest episode in a decade-long search to link US foreign adversaries to Havana syndrome, a vague and highly-suspect charge that was once [considered debunked](). As far as this incident goes, anyone hoping it would reveal further insights into the geopolitical legend will be disappointed. For one thing, *WaPo*'s government sources noted that successful production of a weapon in US-allied Norway does nothing to prove that foreign adversaries are conspiring to use direct energy devices out in the open. (That's in keeping with a 2023 report by [five US intelligence agencies](), which concluded it was "highly unlikely" that Havana syndrome was the result of a malicious direct-energy attack, though that hasn't stopped [hawkish politicians]() from claiming otherwise.) One source poured even more cold water on the whole thing, sharing their opinion that the scientist's symptoms don't line up with the "classic" effects of Havana syndrome. Still, the Norwegian incident has reinvigorated the claim that direct energy weapons are capable of inducing brain damage — whether its creators believe it or not. **More on government weapons:** *[There’s Not Enough Money in the World for Trump’s Golden Dome]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()