Just thought about this; was there any time where transformers were knocked out by an Electro Magnetic Pulse? Not so much an energon surge, I mean a manufactured pulse wave. I can't think of any examples but I'm not fully immersed in all the shows and comics. Would their cybertronian biology shield them from one? -Kronatron
Ratchet had an EMP device in Transformers Animated. Spoiler Alert, he ended up being forced to use it on Arcee and it wiped her memory.
In TFA it was treated mostly as a stun weapon. It incapacitated/shut down TFs but couldn't kill them. (and the aformentioned Arcee memory thing) I imagine it'd be similar in most continuities. They are living, but still machines, so an EMP would knock them out rather than actually kill them. I would assume a Spark is immune being energy verses and electronic device.
Likely depends on the Transformer and the weapon. Some Transformers (like Windcharger, who has magnetic powers) would likely be designed with shielding to mitigate the effects of magnetic fields on their systems, just like others might be designed to resist heat, cold, chemical corrosives, small arms fire, explosives, laser weaponry, etc. etc. And then on top of that you might have specific weapons designed to optimize the impact of a magnetic field on cybertronian systems, which would potentially counteract that shielding and have an even greater effect on a 'regular' cybertronian. Techno-organic cybertronians would probably be more resistant to em fields, but even then, a strong enough field might still have an impact on what remains mechanical in their systems, or even on their more 'biological' parts (strong enough EM fields can have limited effects on blood and tissue, to say nothing of electrocution).
They probably are shielded against standard magnets, there have been instances where a TF was picked up by one of the industrial crane magnets with no discernable after effects. Also in Prime one of the Iacon relics was essentially a magnet gun and it really had no effect on their systems.
Oh yeah, I remember that one! Arcee is afraid she'll get snapped in half if Bulkhead tries to transform. You'd think they'd account for dismemberment at some point, I mean magnus gets a new hand out of spare parts. Sure they seem more vulnerable when any component failure may be fatal, but they are machines. Replacing a break pad shouldn't be like heart surgery, right? -Kronatron
In the 2004 Armada game, there was an obtainable Minicon that could emit an EMP wave which knocks down nearby Decepticlones.
It definently works. In the old G1 I always thought Starscreams Null Rays to be that thing exactly. And when the Toqulons on Web World used an "Inhibitor ray" on Galvatron too...Strangely enough, he build up a tolerance.....
Null Rays are supposed to stop electrical devices cold. That's about all we get. So it could be EMP. It could also be something else entirely. According to the TFWiki, it also works on people, too (but gives no examples). That'd be one heck of an EMP blast to knock out the amount of electricity we use. Another thing of note - I seem to recall that recovery can occur after being hit by a Null-Ray. I admit to not knowing how EMP works entirely, but I've always been under the impression that it can kill electronics entirely. Either Transformers "heal" from a EMP Null-Ray, or the Null-Ray may not be an EMP weapon at all. Just stuff for thought, I guess.
People with pacemakers are supposed to avoid microwave ovens for the risk of EM interference that can stop the device. I also thought that the reason why Arnie could be sent back to 1984 was because he was shielded from the massive EM/RF wave of the time bible, otherwise his circuits would've been fried. Maybe I'm wrong? -Kronatron
Whenever Starscream has used his null-rays in the original cartoon, it's caused machinery to seize up and stop functioning normally. Perceptor states, as he was hit by it in Dinobot Island Pt 2, that the weapon disrupts electron flow. So it's probably some form of EMP, if not it's function is very similar.
I would think that Skylynx, Astrotrain, Cosmos and any other space capable Transformer would need to be strongly shielded against radiation in pretty much all forms. Since a weaponized EMP burst is a pretty simple concept and easy to create, most Transformers probably are shielded against it to some capacity just out of necessity.
I think Trailbreaker had electromagnetic boots or something like that. A force field had better have more ability that to deflect EM.
