laser

In the mobile world, there are arguments over the accuracy and security of biometrics such as fingerprints, irises, and faces. In the security and military sectors, however, people are turning to heartbeats. Just like fingerprints, the cardiac signature of a person is believed to be unique and infallible. But unlike fingerprints, heartbeats can be measured secretly from a distance with a laser. And wouldn’t you know it, the US military has one exactly like that.

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We're probably still decades away from the kind of force field protection found in science fiction. Until then, we'll have to settle for taking down missiles even before they can get too near. That doesn't mean, however, that we can't inject a bit of the hi-tech stuff that somewhat inspire the imagination. That might be the image you'll get with the US Air Force Research Lab's report of successfully shooting down missiles in the air using high energy lasers.

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We live in an age where almost every event is recorded on smartphones for posterity's sake. Some, however, still resort to their trusty professional digital cameras for capturing memorable events. And perhaps no event is more memorable than removing the semi-permanent mark of a tattoo. Well, maybe the destruction of an expensive camera sensor while recording such a removal will probably top that, not to mention make for a traumatic and unforgettable learning experience.

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This week 3D-sensing laser manufacturer Lumentum spoke about the future of their products in devices beyond those they've worked with in the recent past. Lumentum is the primary supplier of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) components for Apple's iPhone X line of smartphones re: TrueDepth front-facing cameras. These lasers enable Face ID, portrait mode photography (frontside camera only, for now), and Animoji, in iPhones of several sorts. This week Lumentum Chief Executive Officer Alan Lowe said straight up: Android's on the way.

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There's a new sort of 3D printer in town, and it goes by the name CAL. This printer was created by a team at UC Berkeley, and its potential is vast. The most popular method for consumer-level 3D printing right this minute is layer-by-layer - through the melting of a material that's been spun into a line. The new method we're looking at today is similar, but makes objects form from a completely different angle.

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NASA is preparing to launch humanity's most advanced laser tool into space, where it will be used to measure Earth's polar ice caps. Key to the mission is NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2), which will use the laser instrument to measure -- within the width of a pencil -- the amount of land ice elevation changes in Antarctica and Greenland. ICESat-2 will capture 60,000 measurements every second, says NASA.

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Lasers, by their very nature, have the potential for harm but most of the dangerous applications of the technology has been limited to science fiction until recently. But while companies like Lockheed Martin are scrambling to weaponize lasers, their Chines counterparts may have just one-upped them. According to a recent report, a Chinese tech firm has successfully developed a laser rifle no heavier than an AK-47 but has the ability to pierce through glass and metal undetected and set clothes, and humans, on fire.

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If you have ever watched a cartoon or movie with Superman in it, you know that one of his powers is the ability to shoot lasers out of his eyes. In the scientific world, these are known as ocular lasers and a group of researchers from the University of St Andrews has made them one step closer to reality. The team says that it may now be possible to create ocular lasers thanks to a new ultra-thin membrane that uses organic semiconductors.

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Various concepts for cleaning up space junk have been created, but a new one from Chinese scientists is by far the most futuristic. In a recently published paper, the team details a space-based laser station concept that uses lasers to eliminate space junk. The proposal was introduced at a time when space junk has been highlighted as a serious concern, potentially impacting future space missions.

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Defense contractor Lockheed Martin is probably known for a lot of things, but it is probably most famous for how it has turned weaponized lasers into more than just a science fiction prop. Demonstrations of its power including being able to stop a moving truck dead in its tracks by blasting out its engines. Now Lockheed Martin is taking that same firepower to the skies. The US Air Force Research Lab has just awarded it a contract to develop a high-power fiber laser system that will be fitted on a tactical fighter jet in 4 years’ time.

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Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a new laser weapon prototype that is able to shoot drones out of the sky. The prototype was recently tested at the US Army's Space and Missile Defense Command last month, where an Advanced Test High Energy Asset system called ATHENA was able to take down a total of five drones with about a 10ft wingspan each.

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Although popularized as deadly weapons in science fiction, real-world applications of lasers have been mostly benign. Almost coming full circle, however, lasers are about to make those fictional scenarios real. Lockheed Martin has just announced that it has successfully designed and tested a 60 kW-class laser weapon, breaking records as far as lasers are concerned. And, of course, this technology will be delivered to the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command for “defensive applications”.

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