Items tagged with Laser
You may not realize it, but your heart is unique. Not only that, but what makes it unique to you is something the Pentagon can now detect from over 200 yards away with a frickin' laser beam. It's not attached to a shark (sorry, Dr. Evil), but the prototype laser, called Jetson, is impressive nonetheless. Why develop something like this? Your cardiac signature is unique to you, just like your fingerprint. There already exists ways for US intelligence and security agencies to identify people through various biometric techniques, from iris scanning to even analyzing someone's gait, but a cardiac signature is different because it can not be altered. According to MIT Technology Review, the Jetson...
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One of the most memorable scenes in all of science fiction films is the scene in the original Star Wars movie where Luke first sees the holographic projection of Princess Leia while trying to clean R2-D2. Many fans of that film have been waiting for decades for a similar projection system to launch. Physicists have now created a very close approximation to that Star Wars projection using a laser and particle system. The technique is known as a volumetric display and can make 3D moving images that a viewer can see from any angle. "This is doing something that a hologram can never do — giving you an all-round view, a Princess Leia-style display — because it’s not a hologram,"...
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Traditional 3D printing that is commonplace today can often take a very long time to create an object. This is because the printer must complete one layer at a time, sometimes requiring hours or at times days to complete the entire printing process. However, a team of scientist and engineers led by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a new 3D printing process that uses lasers said to be hologram-like to create an entire 3D object in just seconds. The lasers create the objects inside a tank of liquid resin, and the new technique is called volumetric 3D printing. The team working on the project believes that volumetric 3D printing can overcome many of...
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When we think of the armament load outs for modern fighter jets, the aircraft usually carry an internal cannon and air-to-air missiles to blast enemy aircraft out of the sky. However, Lockheed Martin has plans to outfit future fighter jets with a more modern weapon: a high-energy laser. The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) has given Lockheed Martin a $26.3 million contract to develop a high-energy laser system that will be compact enough to install on fighter aircraft. The Air Force has tested a similar airborne laser system in the past, but it was installed on a modified Boeing 747 test aircraft (YAL-1). The laser system is part of AFRL's Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program,...
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Boeing has just unveiled a new weapon that's sure to strike fear in drone owners everywhere. It's small, able to fit in a box the size of four briefcases, and it shoots frickin' lasers. Plus, it looks cool, too. What more do we need? Over the past few years, it's become clear that many people don't understand proper etiquette when it comes to flying their drones. We've even seen folks fly their drones over wildfires, throwing all common sense out the window (or perhaps it was burnt up with those wildfires). While there's no reported incidents of a person dying by the hand of a [commercial] drone, there are some major concerns that the first case is on its way. Even more concerning is the annoyance...
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Cue those "hand quotes", because Boeing's got the freakin' lasers. Called the 'Thin Disk Laser', Boeing's managed to deliver a product that's 30% more effective than what the US' Department of Defense required, and if used in combat, I'm not sure we'd want to know what kind of damage it could do. Let's just say, when less than 1 watt could easily blind you, it seems likely that 30,000 watts could do some ridiculous damage. Boeing's laser, also referred to as an 'Active Mirror Laser', is a solid-state type that implements a lasing material to act as an amplifier and a mirror to direct the beam. More than one laser is implemented here to form one fused beam, with each individual one having a layer...
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Remember those handheld lasers that you and your buddies used to carry into movie theaters years back in order to annoy the other moviegoers? Boy, was that immature. But boy, wasn't it fun? Lasers have removed themselves from the mainstream, largely speaking, but there's still something quite magical about them. Granted, they aren't our usual beat, but who can resist a frickin' laser that has managed to set a world record? Wicked Lasers has just introduced the new S3 Krypton, which is waiting on a Guinness Record and can reportedly produce around 86 million lux. That means it's bright enough to be seen from 85 miles away, or beyond the edge of our atmosphere. Yes, seriously! This is the laser...
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BMW has announced that it is working on a left-turn / u-turn assistant to assist in ensuring that drivers of their cars aren't going to hit oncoming cars while making a left or u-turn. Collisions caused by drivers making left turns are a major cause of accidents and motorcycle fatalities. The left-turn assistant will work at speeds up to 10 km/h (or about 6.2 MPH). Once it recognizes a left turn or u-turn, it will use three laser scanners and a camera to detect oncoming traffic as far as 328 feet (100m) away. If it detects oncoming traffic, an automated braking system will engage. At the same time, the driver will be alerted by a warning sound and warning symbols in the instrument cluster and...
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Last week, the FAA announced that there were a record number of "laser events" in 2010. What the FAA means by that, there was a record number of idiots who think it's funny to potentially temporarily blind a pilot with a laser pointer or even some high-powered laser device. The FAA created a formal reporting system for laser events in 2005. Reports nearly double from 2009 to 2010, with 1,527 and 2,836 events, respectively. In the first year for formal reporting, 2005, there were only 300 events. The top 10 airports in terms of laser events are: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 102 Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) 98 Phoenix/Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) 80 San...
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Lucasfilm has backed off the cease-and-desist demand it had made to Wicked Lasers, creator the of Spyder III Pro Arctic. Admittedly, the device sure reminds us of a lightsaber, but according to the letter that was sent to the Wicked Lasers' CEO, as long as the company puts a disclaimer on any pages that are graced by the Pro Arctic, they will drop the demand. The letter, from David J. Anderman, General Counsel for LucasFilm, stated that based on the publicity and statements that Wicked Lasers had made, it was clear that "The media and public has come to realize that Lucasfilm would never endorse or license a highly dangerous product such as your Arctic Pro Laser." In addition to the statements...
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OCZ Technology Unveils the Ultra-Comfortable and Customizable Dominatrix Laser Gaming Mouse Sunnyvale, CA—August 21, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra high performance and high reliability memory and components, today unveiled the latest addition to its peripherals with the Dominatrix, a top-of-the-line laser mouse for PC gamers. The OCZ Dominatrix mouse is built with the hardcore player in mind with a solid design, maximum functionality, and programmable customization unique to each user. The Dominatrix offers a competitive edge with quality ergonomics and advanced features to excel even when immersed in the most challenging gaming environments. “We continue...
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There has been a report that Mitsubishi will unveil its large-screen laser TV at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2008, even though it is still over six months away. Mitsubishi showed its first laser projection TV prototype back in April of 2006. While they predicted that laser TVs would enter the market in 2007, we now know that it will not happen until at least 2008. Laser TVs use red, green, and blue lasers to generate images, unlike the white-light mercury lamps that contemporary TVs incorporate. They claim that laser TV confers the advantage of bright and deep images on light, thin, and large screens. Other companies such as Coherent and Arasor are also experimenting with laser TV technology....
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OCZ Technology Expands into Peripherals and puts a Competitive Advantage at the Fingertips of Gamers with the Introduction of the Equalizer 2500 DPI Laser Mouse Sunnyvale, CA - February 14, 2007 - OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra high performance and high reliability memory and components, today unveiled their plans to introduce gaming peripherals, and offer the best gaming mouse on the market. The new OCZ Equalizer Laser Mouse is sure to excite today's demanding gamers with its unique features, high performance engine, and competitive edge. Designed to give gamers an extra edge, the Equalizer features quality ergonomics and advanced features so gamers can excel...
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Toshiba announced at the CES that they've made a triple-stacked HD-DVD read-only disc that can hold more ones and zeros than a standard Blu-Ray disc --51 gigabytes. That's a lot of 1080p hi-def goodness: The new disc shares the same disc structure as standard DVD and previously announced HD DVD formats: two 0.6-mm thick discs bonded back-to-back. According to Toshiba, the added cost to produce discs with the third layer is minimal, thanks to the use of the same physical disc structure as DVD. Toshiba aims to secure approval of the new disc by the DVD Forum within this year. Ritek said not so fast. We can stack up to ten, and do it in both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats. That's up...
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