When laser light struck that capsule of gas, x-ray emissions were created. The experiment was led by physicist Nina Rohringer, who works for the Max Planck Society in Germany. Using the short x-ray pulses, the team could capture the fast changes in matter. The laser is important because the faster the pulses and the purer the light created by the laser, the more details the scientist can see in the matter being studied.

According to the researchers, the superfast pulses in the laser allow the first pulse to trigger a change in the sample being studied, and the second pulse can record on the atomic scale any changes that occurred in the matter. The team of researchers plans to tweak the laser even further by studying other gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur in an attempt to create even higher energy and shorter pulses for the x-ray laser.

“X-rays give us a penetrating view into the world of atoms and molecules,” said physicist Nina Rohringer of Germany’s Max Planck Society in a news release last week.

“We envision researchers using this new type of laser for all sorts of interesting things, such as teasing out the details of chemical reactions or watching biological molecules at work,” she said.

[via Mercurynews]

Scientists at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have used a laser to create insanely high temperatures. The laser used is an X-ray laser, and it was fired at a piece of foil that is thinner than a strand of spider silk. Despite how thin the foil was, the team was able to reach temperatures in the same area as the corona of the sun.

The x-ray laser created a temperature of 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit. The high temperatures were created with rapid pulses from the laser beam and created a material called hot dense matter. Hot dense matter is said to be the same sort of material found deep inside stars and gas giant planets.

[via Wired]

Civilians have nothing to fear from this powerhouse of a light blaster of course since makers of the SMU 100 say it’ll only be used against rioters. The makers of this device also note that an unnamed police force is set to be giving it a trial soon, with usage more than likely set for 2012. Pal Kerr of MD Photonic Security Systems, the makers of this device, noted the following about it:

“The system would give police an intimidating visual deterrent. If you can’t look at something you can’t attack it.” – Kerr

This device’s effect is good over 500 metres (1,640ft) and has not yet been fully tested in regards to the potential side-effects of the light. This test will be part of the full trial taking place soon, and only AFTER it’s been given approval by the commission in charge of testing it at this juncture will it be allowed to head to the Home Secretary in the UK. This is not the first time a weapon such as this has been used – American and British troops used similar blasters in Afghanistan to protect convoys from attack by sight-dependent enemies – but the UK police have not been using such excellent light-based-weapons up until now.

ALSO though we’ve been assured several times that it’s not, we must assume that the rifle will work like this:

[via BBC]

The camera device was created by the MIT Media Lab Camera Culture group with assistance from the Bawendi Lab in the Department of Chemistry at MIT. The camera system uses a laser pulse as a flash and the pulse lasts only tiny fraction of a second, a trillionth to be precise. The camera is so fast that one trillionth of a second pulse can be captured.

The camera has a narrow field of view, and since the pulse is so fast the sensor captures video over several minutes by repeated sampling to get the finished product. MIT is calling the system femto-photogrpahy and the flash is a Titanium Sapphire laser that emits pulses every 13 nanoseconds. The scientists use a system of mirrors to orient the camera to view different parts of the object to capture a movie of each object. You can see video captured by the camera below.

“We will be showing an Epic reel on our 40 foot screen from our 4K projector including a recent military themed demo reel shot on Red cameras” the company promises, though gives no further technical detail about the anticipated setup. According to the few details shared by RED’s Jim Jannard back in September, the projector is targeted at home users as well as theater use, uses a laser light source and offers passive 3D.

Combined, that was all good enough to make one lucky viewer of the 4K projector prototype to claim it had “generated the best color, best dynamic range and best images I have ever seen in 3D or even 2D.” There’s no mention that we can spot on RED’s ever-enthusiastic forum of the RED Ops Night, though with its military focus it’s possible that the company is keeping things low-key.

[Thanks Nikesh!]

Today these implanted devices have a battery good for about ten years. After that, a surgery is required to replace the battery. Considering things like pacemakers for the heart are required for the people to live, the ability to recharge the devices inside the human body is huge. The device a Japanese team of researchers has developed uses carbon nanotubes that are embedded in a silicon mix.

A laser shined from outside the body heats up one side of the power generation device allowing a temperature difference that creates a small voltage via the Seebeck effect. That small temperature change is then turned into energy to keep the device powered. The carbon nanotubes absorb heat very well and the implant for power would not need to be any larger than a half centimeter cubed. This could be one of the most life altering inventions for people depending on implanted battery powered devices to live in years.

[via PhysOrg]

Basically, the tennis ball – or any other ball, object or lump you may have lying around – is studded with lasers, each individually controlled by the specially programmed Teensy microcontroller (though you could use our old friend the Arduino too). That responds to a remote control, cycling through various patterns of laser light show.

Altogether, the components come to $78 or thereabouts, which makes the Laser Ball cheaper than many laser pointers you could buy in stores (albeit likely to cause somewhat more confusing during PowerPoint presentations). For something you can build in an afternoon, that’s pretty impressive.

“After watching a demo of RED’s laser projector I’ve been struggling to find a way to describe it. Comparing it to traditional professional systems is completely inadequate. I have never witnessed 3D that was as bright or brighter as the best 2D projections until now. It generated the best color, best dynamic range and best images I have ever seen in 3D or even 2D. When I learned we were watching at 1/4 of its total resolution I was speechless.

It was so clean and so vibrant the only thing I can compare it to is Cibachrome. That’s it, a giant moving Cibachrome!” Stephen Pizzo, Element Technica co-founder; now partner of 3ality Technica

Later, the exec confirmed that the new RED model is targeted at home users as well as theater use, and that the release date – although not yet public – is expected to be “sooner rather than later.” Technical details of the projector are unclear, though the fact that it relies on a laser system (rather than one of Texas Instruments’ 4K DLP chips) is obvious.

It’s also using a passive 3D system – more details on the difference between passive and active 3D in our SlashGear 101 guide - but seemingly has sufficient brightness so that one of the common complaints of the technology, that it dims the picture, is no longer an issue. Jannard leaves us wanting with his final word on resolution: ”we can easily see the difference between 1080P and 4K delivery on a 10′ diagonal screen. On a 40′ screen it is hugely significant.”

[via This is my next]

The laser light could bring with it new light functions with more comfort and safety when driving. The lights can contribute significantly to higher degree of efficiency in energy and fuel savings. BMW notes that laser light is monochromatic and is known as coherent light so the waves are uniform and have a constant phase difference. That means that the lights can create a near-parallel beam with intensity a thousand times that of LEDs in use today.

The laser beams would use less power as well making them more green and ideal for EVs running from a battery. BMW says that unlike some of the laser pointers on the market the light it uses is safe for humans and animals when used in car lighting. The light isn’t emitted directly; it is converted into a form safe for traffic use. The light produced is a very bright white. LEDs are capable of producing 100 lumens per watt while lasers can produce 170 lumens per watt. BMW also uses lasers in other safety technology.

The laser is under review by the Guinness World Records folks to be listed as the world’s brightest in the record books. Since the laser has such a bright beam and such a long range, Wicked Lasers offers the disclaimer that users should not aim the laser at an aircraft or at satellites. Wicked says that the laser could interfere with sensors on the satellites. The laser has 1W of power and produces 86 million lux brightness making it appear to be over 8,000 times brighter than looking at the sun.

The laser has five modes of operation and uses an integrated thermopile detector. The sensor detects excess heat and lowers the operating current to keep the laser operating. The body of the laser is made from aluminum to make it last. You can buy the laser right now for $299.99 in 300mW power, but the big 1W laser will cost you nearly a grand. Wicked promises that the laser is legal to own. Check it out in the video below.

The system will allow the musician to turn their six string into a powerful MIDI synth using an interface or special pickup. The system avoids the latency that happens between the plucking of the string and the note being heard to allow the tone to be picked up by the MIDI recorder. I am no musician, but apparently the fastest traditional system of this sort on the market has a latency of 12ms, which causes problems with recording.

The Laser Pitch Detect or LPD Pickup system is made by a company called M3i Technologies. The lasers on the system are able to measure the distance to the player’s fingers and determine the pitch automatically. The system uses a laser diode set on the end with the bridge. The LPD can be used on any stringed instrument with a fingerboard.

[via GizMag]

The main chamber itself uses a double purification system to make sure no contaminants get into whatever it is that Sharp is growing. First, a near-perfect vacuum is created, sucking out any airborne motes or other objects; then, liquid nitrogen is used to cool the outer surface of the chamber. When objects land on it, they instantly stick and freeze.

Substrate wafers are loaded inside and then manipulated into position using magnets on the outside; the various chemicals layered on top are kept in canisters around the outer edges, and released in controlled amounts using shutter doors. Because of the carefully maintained environment, they settle in a perfectly even layer, with the orientation decided by the atomic structure of the wafer itself: Sharp uses sapphire bases with various chemical toppings for Blu-ray lasers, for instance.

With the current MBE, Sharp can produce a couple of small trays of LEDs in a day. However, the production techniques being experimented with should eventually head to more mass-production friendly facilities, where bigger numbers can be catered for.

Professor Wolfgang Freude and his colleagues have announced a new world record for transmitting data with a single laser. The team was able to hit 26 terabits per second with the one laser. Each pulse of the laser used in the demonstration has about 325 different colors of light and each light color can carry a bit of data. The team was able to shoo the data down a length of optical fiber 50km long and then extract the different colors using a fast Fourier transform at the opposite end.

That algorithm can extract the different colors from the beam based on the number of times different parts of the beam arrive. Part of the success of Freude and the team of researchers was that they were able to split their data packing laser beam optically rather than mathematically. The optical split allows various parts of the beam to arrive at different times. The data can then be separated into bits and put back together.

[via Geekosystem]

The system is called left turn assistant and it has two levels of functionality. The left turn assistant uses the navigation system in the car to fix the vehicles location within a meter at intersections. It also uses a mono camera to register the turn off lane markings and lane borders on the road. The system then uses three laser scanners in the front of the car to map the area up to 100 meters in front of the vehicle.

The laser scanners can pick up cars, trucks, and motorcycles. If the sensors detect a vehicle approaching in the opposite direction and the car continues to move the left turn assistant activates automatic braking input in low speed range up to 10km/h to prevent a collision. While the brakes are applied, the system also sounds an audible warning and a visual warning inside the car. As soon as the driver hits the brakes themselves, the brake input triggered by the system is ended.

The test firing of the laser from a Navy ship was able to disable a small target vessel. The successful test was part of the Navy and Northrop Grumman at-sea testing regime of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) and validated the lasers ability to provide self-defense for ships and personnel from small boat threats.

The test was conducted off the coast of Central California in the Navy’s Pacific Ocean test range. The test laser was mounted on the deck of the Navy self-defense test ship the USS Paul Foster (DD 964). “This is the first time a HEL, at these power levels, has been put on a Navy ship, powered from that ship and used to defeat a target at-range in a maritime environment,” said Peter Morrison, program officer for ONR’s MLD.

[via ONR]

The gun is called the DIY Pulse Laser Gun and was built by Patrick Priebe. The builder says that the gun has a small pulse laser head with a kW-pulse of infrared coherent light. A single shot can punch through a razor blade, plastic, and 5mm thick Styrofoam when focused.

The range of the gun is 3M for dark surfaces and the shot will make a stinging flame and leave a 5mm stain behind. I bet it would burn your skin pretty well too. I don’t even want to think about what it would do to your eye. The gun is about 320mm long and weighs two pounds.

[via Hacked Gadgets]

As for an overview of how the device works, let’s quote BBC based on what Professor Douglas Stone revealed to them: “The device focuses two laser beams of a specific frequency into a specially designed optical cavity made from silicon, which traps the incoming beams of light and forces them to bounce around until all their energy is dissipated.” The device can absorb 99.4 percent of incoming light for a specific wavelength.

Professor Stone also said that the anti-laser would be most useful in optical computing with a big advantage being its use of silicon which is already widely used in computing. However, he reiterates that the device is not meant for defense against high powered laser weapons. He goes on to say, “The energy gets dissipated as heat. So if someone sets a laser on you with enough power to fry you, the anti-laser won’t stop you from frying.”

[Via BBC News]

The threshold for making a laser into a weapon is the 100 kilowatt of power mark. The prototype FEL has so far been able to muster a paltry 14 kilowatts worth of power. The Navy has that power issue licked, or at least it thinks it does. The use of a new injector has put the prototype laser into the megawatt class of lasers.

The Navy admits that a test of the laser aboard a ship is still years away with the shipboard test not expected until at least 2018. Perhaps the Navy can fit the laser about the same time it starts outfitting ships with that awesome rail gun it tested a while back that fired a 33 megajoule shot sending a bullet at mach 8.

Video after the cut

It takes a couple of minutes, and involves balancing the kernel on a swivelling platter and keeping a steady hand, but it’s undoubtedly another important step in combining cooking and lasers. At $299.95 a piece, however, lasers probably aren’t the cheapest way to make a movie time snack.

[via Twitter]

It was a year ago that the United States military first attempted, and ultimately succeeded, in shooting down a ballistic missile with a laser. And now it looks like they are ready to test it again, and they could be doing it as soon as tonight, if sources are accurate. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Airborne Laser Test Bed, which is a heavily modified jumbo jet that has a chemical laser equipped to its frame, will take off from the California coast, and try to shoot down the missile.

While the military has already proven that they can shoot down a ballistic missile with a laser, the program itself hasn’t seen the best support from the government. In the past, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates actually downgraded the program to a research and development stage, which meant that acquiring another jumbo jet for further testing was out of the question. However, if this experiment is a success, it is likely that the project will receive congressional interest, which could lead to further funding.

The military is trying to show that lasers can play an integral part to the strategy of its forces, especially if they can be used in such a manner as the Airborne Laser Test Bed. With this test, which will hopefully succeed versus the failures that the testers faced back in September due to several issues. The test is reportedly going to occur some time tonight, but no exact time frame was issued.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

The point behind TalkTorque 2, is to be able to interact with humans without any words being exchanged. The designers behind the robot believe that TalkTorque 2 would be a perfect guide within places like museums. Letting the human attendees follow the robot around, while it gestures with its head, hands, and hips towards important pieces.

There are three cameras installed in the TalkTorque 2, along with a laser rangefinder. Thanks to the cameras, the robot will be able to recognize returning visitors. In the video below, you can watch the original TalkTorque as it is put through a few tests, all focusing on its gestures.

[via Plastic Pals]

Her undeniable skills in dancing have landed her a spot with Zhantra Entertainment. In such, she’s become a world famous “bionic ballerina.” So famous in fact, that she’s even got herself a Facebook page, with a growing number of fans. 164 (at the time of this writing) may not seem like many, but we imagine that as the video below gets passed around on the Internet, that number will certainly change. The Bionic Ballerina features 17 lasers that have been hooked up to Milena’s body. These lasers work in tangent with the numerous LEDs hooked onto her dress. The result is a dance that’s full of lights and spectacle, and you can watch it below.

[via DVICE]

Project images up to 50″ away in dark environments. Rapid change possible in projection size, simultaneous near and far projection, angled projection, and projection on uneven surfaces. Fricking sweet, man. This projector includes an onboard 1.5 hour battery, making power cables unnecessary, VGA input supporting up to 800×600 resolutions for laptop connections, and a media player inside the device able to decode multiple document and media formats. Have some files on a USB thumb drive? It can read those too. Available for $449 MSRP or pre-order for $399. Check out the full press-release below:

AAXA Introduces L1 v2 Laser Pico Projector

November 24, 2010

AAXA Technologies is pleased to announce the release of the AAXA L1 v2 Laser Pico Projector, an updated version of the L1, the world’s first laser powered pocket projector. The updated design improves the performance of L1 v2 by increasing the thermal efficiency of the PCOS laser light engine. The unique three-color laser light source enables the L1 v2 to produce images with amazing color saturation that are always in focus. Designed for mobile professionals and entertainment, the AAXA L1 v2 pocket projector combines a revolutionary laser light source, proprietary despeckling technology, and an LCoS imager to achieve a 20 lumen output at 800×600 resolution without the pixilation problems found in some laser projectors.

The flexibility offered by the L1 v2 laser light source opens up a new world of possibilities in projection applications. The focus-free operation allows for rapid changes in projection size, simultaneous far and near surface projection, angled projection, and projection on curved and other non-flat surfaces. Its ultra-efficient optical engine enables the L1 v2 to produce rich images even in less-than-dark environments – and color-rich images up to 50″ in dark environments. Combined with onboard 1.5 hour battery, the L1 v2 operates as a true hand-held laser projector without the need for any cables or external power source.

Built-in features include VGA input supporting up to 800×600 resolutions for laptop connections and on-board gamma correction. Additional features include a powerful media player capable of decoding of video (AVI, ASF, WMV, MPG), audio (MP3, WAV, AAC), images (JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP), and popular document formats (DOC, XLS, PPT, PDF), onboard memory, and a USB port capable of reading files directly off a standard USB thumb drive.

While the L1 v2 is slightly larger than the original L1, it still remains the world’s smallest 20 lumen pico projector – no larger than a small cell phone, measuring only 4.2″ x 2.1″ x 1.2″ and weighs in at 170 grams (including battery). The L1 v2 projector is much smaller than the traditional “pocket projector”. It slips into a pocket or briefcase and comes with a stand, making it fully portable and configurable for maximum presentation flexibility. Additional accessories allow the L1 v2 to connect to Apple iPhone/iPod, Microsoft Zune, Sony Playstation Portable (PSP), and a wide range of cellphones from Nokia, LG, Samsung, and HTC.

The AAXA L1 v2 is available for pre-order at www.aaxatech.com for $399 and begins shipping December 1, 2010 and will also be available through our fine retail partners.

[Via AAXA Technologies]

This new slingshot was a do it yourself project from KipKay, which would initially make it a one-of-a-kind item, but he’s happy to show you how he made it in the video, which you can watch below. So, if you’re someone who likes to put things together, which include lasers, and you’ve missed your slingshot of your childhood days, here’s a great way to bring it back to life, with a nice enhancement.

The design features chunks of aluminum, and a single 6mm red laser diode. The whole thing is run by a pair of AA batteries, which are tucked away inside. What’s better, though, is that the handle works as a storage compartment for your ammunition, too. Go ahead and check out the video below, to see the laser-guided slingshot in action.

[via DVICE]

The lasers, which you can see in the image above, are fired from the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Laser Ranging Facility, located in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA fires the lasers every 28 seconds, which is all it takes to locate and track the satellite, which is the size of an SUV. Which is pretty impressive, considering that the LRO is moving at 3,600 MPH, and it’s over 250,000 miles away. We’re also curious to know if the scientists, while tracking our own satellite and staring at the moon, were talking like pirates to one another. After all, yesterday was also “Talk Like a Pirate Day.”

[via io9]

The United States Air Force has just announced that a team of researchers based out of the University of California in Berkeley have created a laser backpack, which is about as portable as you might imagine. It’s still bulky, sure, but at least it won’t crush you. At least one of the researchers, a man named Avideh Zakhor, has been doing work of rapid generation of information pertaining to 3D models for quite some time, and has even done work on Google Earth’s Cities in 3D Program, so he knows what he’s doing. And, while Google may wish they could use something like this to map the internals of a restaurant somewhere, we don’t really see that happening any time soon.

Yet, as we mentioned above, the Air Force is an entirely different story. They want to get their hands on this technology, apparently, to map out battlefield locations. The branch of the military believes that Air Force personnel would be able to use the information gathered to prepare for missions better.

The backpack itself utilizes all sorts of high-tech goodies. There are four cameras that record up, down, and on both sides of the wearer of the backpack at all times. The entire system is based on the Hokuyo scanning laser rangefinders. And then the whole thing gets figured out by a sensor fusion algorithm that was designed by Zakhor and other researchers. The cameras and algorithms work in conjunction to rapidly decipher the environment, and then showcase it in a photo-realistic 3D model at a later date. The system doesn’t need GPS, either.

Zakhor believes that every location on the planet, both interior and exterior, will be eventually mapped. He believes, honestly, that before you go anywhere in the future, you’ll be able to bring it up online and take a look, no matter the location. A pretty hefty goal, we imagine, but as the technology gets better and we have better access, it may be possible.

[via CNET]

While the image may not get the full point across, it certainly gives it a good shot. That laser that’s shooting up out of the observatory is meant to excite the atoms within the upper atmosphere. Somewhere in the ball park of 56 miles above the planet. The intent? To artificially manifest a star. The European Southern Observatory has actually done this before. It’s called the Laser Guide Star, which will be used to act as a reference to the very, very large Very Large Telescope (VLT) array.

The point is to give the researchers and scientists a better ability to take pictures of the cosmos, and by creating an artificial star as their reference point for the four mirror-based VLT, they make that easier on themselves.

[via DVICE]

A group of researchers at the University of Michigan is working on the development of laser systems that aren’t used to shoot missiles or targets, but to defend helicopters from missiles fired at them. The laser would be used to jam the sensors aboard the missile confusing it and making it unable to hit the target.

The new system is better suited to helicopters than any other laser missile defense system according to the researchers because of it’s simple design and off the shelf fiber optic parts. The heavy vibration created by a helicopter in flight makes most laser systems unable to operate. The countermeasure system is supposedly effective up to 1.8 miles.

Via Gizmag

Wicked Laswers’ CEO received a letter from LucasFilm, saying that as long as the company puts a disclaimer (saying something in the vain of “Hey, this isn’t a Lightsaber…”) on any product materials for the Spyder III Pro Arctic, that they won’t go after them and basically ruin their day. The letter came from LucasFilm’s General Counsel, David J. Anderman, and goes on to say, “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.”

That’s pretty straight forward. Whatever the reason, it looks like Wicked Lasers is able to go about their business, and keep on selling their little laser. Oh, and business is good. Apparently, due to all the publicity this has generated for the company and the Spyder III, sales have actually tripled. So, a win-win situation for everyone involved? We think so.

[via Hot Hardware]

Despite the fact, that nowhere in the product description does Wicked use Star Wars terms or link the thing to the film franchise in any way, Lucasfilm is pissed. Apparently, Lucasfilm wants the thing pulled from the market for excess awesomeness and infringement.

Wicked received a cease and desist letter from Lucasfilm that stated, “It has come to our attention that a company called Wicked Lasers is selling a highly dangerous product out of Hong Kong that is designed to look like a lightsaber from Star Wars. This product is not licensed or approved by Lucasfilm in any way. We have demanded that Wicked Lasers immediately cease and desist their infringing activities. As Wicked Lasers itself admits, this product can cause serious injury to the user and other people. We strongly discourage consumers from purchasing it.” Is it just me, or do you want this thing even more now? I’d totally like to melt a Darth Vader action figure with this thing.

But, truth be told, it’s a big TV. And no, not just the screen. The 75-inch model (L75-A91) measures in at a staggering 41.7- x 66.4- x 15-inches. It is 3D-ready, and Mitsubishi is throwing in a 3D Starter Pack, which includes a 3D emitter, 3D adapter and a remote, an HDMI cable, and a Blu-ray disc that will showcase all the awesome of Blu-ray, plus the greatness that is 3D in your living room (on a 75-inch HDTV).

The L75-A91 can also connect to the Internet thanks to StreamTV, which will get you access to Pandora, Picasa, Flickr, and other services right from your giant screen. It has a wired-IR port, 1080p native resolution, and four HDMI-CEC ports. The troubling part, is that price tag. Coming in at $5,999, which doesn’t include the $399 3D Starter Pack. Also worth mentioning: it weighs 154 pounds, apparently. So, take that into advisement.

[via Engadget]

We reviewed a laser from Wicked Lasers way back in 2008 and liked the thing well enough. The company has a new laser they are showing off now called the Spyder III Pro Arctic that makes that laser back in 2008 seem wimpy by comparison. The Spyder III Pro Arctic laser has a blue beam.

The laser diode used to create the laser was lifted directly from a laser home theater projector making the thing the world’s first 445nm cool blue laser. You can pick one up for $197.97. Anything with a disclaimer attached that reads as strongly as the one below is something I want to play with.

Warning: Extremely dangerous is an understatement to the power of 1W of laser power. It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts, use with extreme caution and only when using the included eye protection. Customers will be required to completely read and agree to our Class IV Laser Hazard Acknowledgment Form.

Video demo after the cut

In fact, the matrix rapidly flips between input and output modes, so fast that you can’t spot the blinking.  In output mode, you see an array of falling pixels that you have to zap with the laser pointer; in input mode, the matrix tracks where the pointer’s beam is falling.

Even better, Hayashi has made all the code and schematics available on his site so if you know which end of a soldering iron is which, you should be able to put this together yourself.  If you do, please make us one too!

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/10819322[/vimeo]

[via Hack a Day]

I almost said it would be “eye-catching”, but the chance of causing some sort of eye injury in the audience looks pretty high.  Still, until they’re blinded they’d be greatly entertained.

There’s no word on how long it took to put together, nor whether each laser is a standalone unit (with its own battery and power switch) or if they’ve been centralised in some way.  More photos here and here.

[via MAKE]

The new method uses a laser pulse lasting 60 femtoseconds with a power rating of 22-millijoules. The scientists say that is a power output equivalent to 1000 power plants.

The clouds are created in the wake of the high-power laser pulse similar to a jet contrail. The scientists are hoping that the discovery might lead to the ability to create rain when it is needed in drought conditions. All you need to do to get rain in your area is fly me and my car in, if I wash the car it rains. Sadly, there are no sharks involved in the process the scientists have invented.

When they finally come up with a drill that doesn’t make that horrible sound and hurt and stuff, I might not hate going to the dentist. Ok, that’s a lie. Over in Germany they are working with a sweet laser drill that is designed to cover treatment of soft tissue.

The device is called the Dio-Lase and has a 7-watt diode laser that is self-contained in a hand held device. Not quite as exciting as a dental laser that can be used to drill teeth, but it’s a start.

Video demo after the cut

Unfortunately that 2020 timeframe means the components of 2009 are a little too large to fit into Ericsson’s wishful-thinking mockup.  Instead the company have been demonstrating a rather more mundane (and arguably less frightening) prototype, which so far only squeezes in the projector, laser keyboard and a multiformat card reader.

Still, you can see the direction they’re going in: why make do with a tiny display and tiny keyboard (or lug around a huge display and a huge keyboard) when you can project them instead?  The track record of low-resolution pico-projectors and finger-hurting laser keyboards doesn’t exactly fill us with confidence, but perhaps the world of 2020 will only ever use soft-touch surfaces.

Video after the cut

The lasers are installed in a custom module, which combines 1W red, green and blue units, and paired with LCoS panels from Microdisplay; together, they’re good enough for 300 nits of brightness and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.  Overall power consumption is said to be around 150W.

There’s no word on pricing nor availability estimates for the HDI display, but given the various technologies they’re using we can’t imagine it’ll be a cheap home theater setup.  Still, if you’re desperate to reach out and touch your favorite film star, and not get a headache while you do so, you could always sell organs until you have enough cash.

[via OLED-Display.info]

Much of the interview is tussle back and forth over whether the LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technology preferred by Syndiant is better than LBS (Laser-Beam-Steering) as used by rival firms, but there are several interesting tidbits for those of us who simply want a decent pico-projector.  Mass production of Syndiant’s 854 x 600 pixel projector unit is about to begin, and Guttag expects 720p/1080p versions within the next few years.

That’s a little longer for 1080p than the “volume production in 2010″ that their website suggests, but according to Guttag the company is “re-evaluating where we prioritize the development of the 1080p for pico projectors.”  Instead, cellphone projectors could top out at 720p, he suggests, at least in the next three years, while 1080p would be more likely on video games, PMPs and cameras.

Video demo after the cut

Well, we say Gear Diary tested it; Judie didn’t actually chase around the laser on her hands and knees.  Instead she left it to gadget-testing cat Avah, who – judging by the video below – seems to enjoy the randomly-flicking dot.

Controls on the BOLT are straightforward, with a power button in the base that flips between automatic mode (for hands-free use, with the device stood upright like a bowling pin) and manual mode (where you can guide the pointer yourself, or conduct a bizarre PowerPoint presentation to a cat audience) together with a slider to adjust the flicking mirror inside.  Best of all is the price; at just $19.95 it’s hardly more expensive than a cheap laser pointer.