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Posts with tag Laser

These Gadgets Could Get You Arrested

by Evan Shamoon, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 8:01PM



In an odd bit of tech trivia, Wired has compiled a list of gadgets that could get you arrested (other than your Hannah Montana iPod dock, naturally). The entries range include the WASP knife -- designed to aid you against undersea predators like sharks and manta rays through a combination of a very sharp blade and the ability to deploy 800-psi blasts of compressed freezing gas into its target -- to the Lil' Buttie, which allows you to easily tap a phone line.

Our favorite gadget on the list, however, has to be the Sonar II Burner. Developed by the best-named company in the history of companies, Wicked Lasers, the Sonar II is just that: a more powerful version of the lasers found in Blu-ray players, the laser machine can burn holes through paper and melt plastic.

And really, what more can you ask for in a tech story? Sharks with freaking laser beams attached to their heads?

Perhaps. [From: Wired]

Military to Get Laser Weapons By Year's End

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 12:43PMBreaking News


Note: We guarantee there will be no jokes about "freakin' lasers" in this article.

Now that we've got that out of the way, word is that the U.S. military will finally get weapons grade lasers by the end of 2008. No joke, the holy grail of a laser-based weaponry is right around the corner, according to Northrop Grumman, a military contractor. Grumman recently tested an electronic laser system that combines small silicon-based lasers into one more powerful beam, much like the Death Star. 100 kilowatts (kW) is generally considered the threshold for a useful weapons grade laser, and the most recent test only hit 30 kW. Since the weapon is built simply by chaining smaller lasers together,it will be able to quickly scale up its power by the end of the year, according to Grumman.

These new electric lasers have replaced traditional chemical lasers, which are bulky and require noxious gases to generate their high-powered beams. The size and danger of these systems has rendered them impractical for most military situations.

Grumman isn't alone, though. The military also expects to see a laser truck from Boeing and a laser mortar from Raytheon soon. Plus, it just test-fired its aerial Advanced Tactical Laser for the first time. It's only a matter of time before we'll all have ray guns and plasma rifles. [From: Wired]
Engadget

Doctors Use Laser to Destroy Brain Tumor in Conscious Patient

by Nilay Patel, posted Sep 2nd 2008 at 3:12PM

Neurosurgery with robotic assistance is getting pretty old hat nowadays, so it looks like scientists are trying to up the difficulty factor by keeping their patients awake -- a team of French doctors just completed the first successful removal of malignant brain tumor from a still-conscious patient, using a computerized laser and an MRI scanner to guide the probe.

The fiber-optic laser was fed into the brain through a 3mm (.12 inch) hole in the patient's skull and guided via MRI to the tumor, where it fired for two minutes and completely destroyed the cancerous tissue. Once the tumor cells were dead, the cable was removed and the patient was allowed to return home -- all within a single day.

That's pretty impressive, and it comes on the heels of 15 similar trials where five out six patients who underwent the total removal procedure were cancer-free nine months after surgery. The team says further research will cost an additional two million euros to progress, but if this technique works as well as they claim after peer review, we'd guess that money won't be hard to come by. [From: Telegraph via Fark]

Lasers Eliminate the Pain of the Dental Drill

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 14th 2008 at 8:39AM

Dentists Drill Teeth With Lasers
The squeal and pain of the dentists' drill may soon be a thing of the past as oral caretakers look to the future... which, of course, means lasers. This is far from the first application of lasers in dental surgery, but until now they haven't been strong enough to penetrate teeth.

Because the lasers don't require physical contact between the tooth and the tool, vibrations are greatly reduced, which means far less pain. In fact, unless removing the decaying portions exposes a nerve, there may be no need for Novacaine injections at all, though many dentists will still give them as a precautionary measure.

Because decaying bone tissue in the teeth holds significantly more water than healthy enamel, the laser drill works by heating up water in the dead tissue causing microscopic explosions, literally blasting away the decayed bone. Unfortunately, traditional drills will still be needed to remove old-school mercury fillings, which can reflect the laser back at the dentist, posing a potential hazard.

As of now, laser filings are still expensive, but then again. According to the article in the UK's Daily Mail, the British National Health Service charges £75 (roughly $142) for one, compared with £40 ($75) for traditional filings. Here in the US, laser dentistry procedures cost about 30 percent more than standard dental procedures. [Source: Daily Mail]
Engadget

Laser-Equipped Windshield Aims to Make Driving Easier

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 9:01AM


Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit's R&D division is busy creating a windshield that will, at its core, enable us to stop running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road's edge better, recognize obstructions and enhance things ahead of us so we'll theoretically react faster.

Truth be told, the device is being designed with older drivers in mind, though we don't see why younger motorists won't benefit all the same. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you'll have to keep those toothpicks in your eyelids for a few more years, but at least we're one step closer to full-on autopilot. [Source: CNN]

Ravers Blinded By Laser Light Show Outside Moscow

by Will Safer, posted Jul 15th 2008 at 1:58PM



Attendees at a July 5 music festival outside Moscow received more than a dose of sound as more than 30 people suffered injuries to their eyes from a laser show.

The festival (really a rave) was an outdoor event with DJ music and a laser light show. Due to poor weather, a canopy was erected over the dance floor, and the laser show, which should have pointed the lights up into the sky, instead was directed horizontally across the dance area and into the ravers' eyes. A recipe for disaster?

About 20 people are in treatment now due to significant loss of sight. And the treatment, according to a spokeswoman from Moscow Ophthalmological Hospital 'involves a lot of needles.' (Yikes.)

But just how does a laser damage eyesight? Can one of those pocket laser pointers really ruin your retina? Apparently, pocket lasers are set to only one-tenth the damage threshold, but can cause temporary 'flash blindness.' More powerful lasers (Class 4 and above) can cause damage, sometimes without a person even realizing it at the time. It is unclear what types of lasers were in use at the rave, but we wouldn't be surprised if they were just a bit more powerful than average normal pen-mounted laser.

Ravers at the event reportedly tried to capture video on their cell phones, but even that didn't work when the laser light overwhelmed the phones' cameras. No word on if the eyesight damage is permanent or how long it will last. [Source: CNN]

Laser Comb Claims to Cure Hair Loss

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 21st 2008 at 3:43PM

Another Laser Comb Claims to Cure Hair Loss

We've seen laser combs aimed at restoring lost hair before, but have not heard any inspiring tails of success. That hasn't stopped yet another company from jumping into the market for hair loss cures powered by the same technology that reads your DVDs.

The X5 Hair Laser is available only from that bastion of quality products, SkyMall. For $299, 15 points of laser light, supposedly optimized for stimulating hair growth, are focused on your scalp. A significant investment of time is required however to see any results. The company recommends three 10-15 minute sessions a week to see any results.

We suggest our friends with receding hairlines just go bald gracefully and not waste their money on gimmicky cures.

From Crave

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Though Big and Bulky, Mitsubishi's New Laser TV Dazzles

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 11th 2008 at 3:39PM

Laser TV from Mitsubishi is Unreal

The market for HDTVs is flooded with competing technologies and not to mention perplexing acronyms and abbreviations -- DLP, LCD, OLED, Plasma, SED. Now you can add Laser TV to your list of display technologies to know. Mitsubishi unveiled a 65-inch laser television at an event during this week's CES -- and people at this week's CES show were buzzing about the incredible color and contrast.

Mitsubishi isn't revealing details about exactly how it works, but we do know it is based on a rear projection system, meaning that this is never going to be as thin as those sexy OLEDs on display. And who knows what the future holds for big and bulky projection TVs, whose stars are falling almost as quickly as those of HD-DVD. But the laser TV does have a leg up in the image quality department. Apparently, colors were so intense and contrast so dramatic that Greg Adler at PC World described it as "artificial" looking.


Pricing isn't available, but Mitsubishi plans to have the displays on the market by fall of 2008.

From Engadget

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Teen Arrested for Shining Laser Pointer at Police Copter

by Tim Stevens, posted Dec 28th 2007 at 11:11AM

Laser Pointers Result in Numerous ArrestsLasers are complex, powerful, and potentially dangerous. As such, they are totally cool. Because of their cool factor they are popular, and lasers powerful enough to burn paper or blind people are now readily available for sale. This is causing problems and arrests for those who choose to point their new, finely focused toys in the wrong direction.

The most recent victim of pointing his laser in the wrong direction is a 15-year-old boy from California who was arrested after pointing his handheld laser at a police helicopter.

The kid, assumingly bored, pointed his Christmas present at anything that went by the window, including a commuter bus and a commercial aircraft coming in for a landing. But when he pointed it at a police helicopter, the men in blue did a little investigation, found the source, and arrested the kid. He was the third person arrested for the same offense that week in Orange County, CA alone. If convicted some may face upwards of 20 years in jail for the crime, though it's unclear whether they'll be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

If you received a laser pointer for as a present this holiday season, be aware of where you point that thing lest you find yourself in jail.

From BoingBoing

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New "Vacuum Laser" Treats Acne, Spots, and Unwanted Hair

by Ryan Rayhill, posted Nov 16th 2007 at 12:47PM

New vacuum laser for acne

While we suspect quick-fix cosmetic treatments like microdermabrasion and Botox are popular largely because people enjoy saying the words microdermabrasion and Botox, we know it's also true that such treatments do in fact make people look different (though not always younger) and that they are more widespread today than they have ever been.

Though there are still many folks who shy away from such procedures, likely because sticking needles in one's face and having chemicals peeling away one's flesh just isn't natural or fun. But it looks like there's an exciting new option for those not ready for invasive (or painful) treatments, and are looking for something beyond Oil of Olay. It's called Isolaz, which is a photopneumatic device that uses a combination of lasers and suction to treat acne, reduce red or brown spots as well as remove unwanted hair.

The company claims that the Isolaz is painless and perfectly safe with no post-procedure recovery time needed.

If we can painlessly replace bikini waxing and Clearasil in one fell swoop, with a laser/vacuum combo no less, then mankind has indeed reached a new golden age.

From Popgadget

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Laser Pizza Cutter, Complete with Video

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 14th 2007 at 2:29PM


Who likes lasers? We do! We do!

We like lasers so much we're bringing you this video of a freakin' laser pizza cutter. There isn't much to say, it's a laser, it cuts the pizza into 8 delicious slices. Although it does look like the guy at the end of the video is having a little trouble getting a slice out.

From OhGizmo!

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Researchers Kill Viruses With Lasers

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 6th 2007 at 9:05AM

Researchers Kill Viruses With Lasers

A father and son team of researchers has developed a new method for disinfecting blood for transfusions. The normal method of UV radiation in combination with radioisotopes tends to leave behind damaged and mutated blood cells, whereas this new method, which utilizes a low-power pulsating laser, generally leaves non-viral cells untouched.

Johns Hopkins University student Shaw-Wei David Tse and his father Kong-Thon Tsen -- a laser expert at Arizona State University -- pointed a low-power, visible wavelength laser at test tubes containing viruses diluted in a saline solution. The scientists found that the pulsating laser reduced the amount of viruses in the solution 100- to 1000-fold. The results surprised them so much that they repeated the experiment several times, each time with the same conclusion.

What's happening is that the pulsing of the laser creates vibrations that destroy viruses -- even drug-resistant ones, which could one day potentially include HIV and hepatitis. The pulsing of the laser allows the material around the viruses to cool off between blasts, which prevents damage to blood cells that might otherwise be sustained if a continuous beam was used.

The technology sounds promising, but there is always the chance that this will end up like the old needle-less syringe, a great idea forgotten because the current system is "good enough."

From Press ESC

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Laser Printers as Bad for You as Cigarettes

by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 1st 2007 at 9:15AM

Laser Printing: The New Black Lung?When it comes to economical printing and crisp text, it's hard to beat a laser printer. They'll spit out thousands of sharply defined pages on a single toner cartridge before needing replacement, all while hardly making a sound (and only dimming the lights a little). However, those benefits apparently come at a cost: your health. A new study from Queensland University of Technology indicates that laser printers emit clouds of fine particles when they're in use, particles that are similar to "cigarette smoke and motor vehicle emissions."

This means they're incredibly small and can get deep into your lungs and ultimately your bloodstream. Given that similar particles have shown to be factors in lung cancer, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to open a window the next time you're printing out that manuscript of yours ... assuming you ever manage to write more than a page. Maybe you should just stick with poetry.

From Engadget

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