Worried about your pesky enemies throwing things like rotten apples at you? Don’t worry, there’s now a force field for that.

Military and aircraft manufacturer Boeing have this month had their patent for an actual force field approved, and it looks like something straight out of The Matrix.

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Unfortunately, Boeing’s proposal so far only applies to shockwaves from nearby blasts, and doesn’t actually stop objects like missiles or bullets.

In the plan registered with the United States Patent and Trademark office, the force field uses electronic magnetic arcs to absorb or deflect energy from nearby “shockwave-producing events”.

A sensor is able to detect nearby blasts and determine their direction and distance from the protected asset and calculate a “firing plan”.

The patent suggests the force field could be used on vehicles as well as humans.

“The protected asset is one of a surface vessel, a submarine vessel, an offshore platform, a land vehicle, a land structure, and a human… ”

“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 shockwaves.”

It is unclear how far away the technology is, with Boeing submitting hundreds of patents each year, including one last October for a circular plane that was dubbed a “flying donut”.

(APP) Radical @AirbusGroup flying wing airliner with torroidal pressurised cabin http://t.co/M9aQfYl6n4 pic.twitter.com/y0XOjRjyZj

— AeroPatent (@AeroPatent) November 4, 2014