Boris Bajic
Guest
Erm, heat seeking missiles please - now get working on them. Pannier mounted.
I believe this idea to be compromised by the plethora of heat sources in a target-rich environment. Modern urban traffic would present a densely packed group of potential targets, thus compromising the cyclist's chance of hitting and destroying the selected target. These systems work best where widely-spaced targets (armour, aircraft etc) offer significant heat signals in a sparsely populated environment.
I also have concerns about both blast and shrapnel injuries to persons and property not in the selected target set or outside the target vehicle.
There is also the worry that blast or shrapnel damage could be sustained by both the cyclist and his or her bicycle.
Further, I find that the firing of ballistic weapons (controlled or otherwise) on or close to the public highway is likely to result in the Police becoming involved. Criminal charges would seem likely and (in this litigious age) one cannot exclude the possibility of ShrapnelInjuryLawyers4U.com
For all the above reasons and several more I do not mention, I conclude that the proposal of cycle-mounted, heat-seeking missiles is not a serious one and has not properly been thought through.
I wonder, however, whether there isn't a case here for a limpet-type charge with a timer. I have a couple of patent applications lodged with the appropriate authorities.