Apr 22
A study has been published that outlines a method of creating a laser beam that can travel further than lasers were previously able to travel. Researchers from the University of … Continue reading
Apr 20
Perhaps inspired by The Amazing Spider-Man 2, prop weapon maker Patrick Priebe made a couple of wrist-mounted weapons that are triggered just like Spidey’s web-shooters.
One of the weapons shoots a tiny harpoon. It also has a winch that turns it into a Spider-Man and Scorpion mashup. Get over here!
The other weapon is a Priebe staple: a laser. Both weapons have laser sights as well.
Swing over to Patrick’s YouTube page or his website for more of his gizmos.
[via Fashionably Geek]
Apr 15
NASA has announced that it is set to send the OPALS – or Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science – device to the ISS. What that means is that NASA is sending a laser up to the ISS that can be used to send messages including HD video back to the Earth with more bandwidth and speed than conventional methods. This is a big deal since the amount of data being sent back to Earth is growing constantly.
The OPALS device will be able to send data, including video, to Earth in the form of laser transmissions and is likened to upgrading from dial-up to cable at your home. The conventional method used to send data back from the ISS has about 200 to 400 Kbps of bandwidth. The lasercom device will be able to provide up to 50 Mbps of speed.
NASA says that in the future a similar deep space laser device will be able to support transmissions from Mars at up to 1 Gbps. The laser will head to the ISS this week aboard the SpaceX Dragon resupply cargo ship – assuming that the rocket overcomes its current launch delay.
Apr 10
The US Navy will begin in-the-wild trials of a laser weapon that can bring down aircraft or small vessels this summer, controlled just like a video game and costing about … Continue reading
Apr 08
We did talk about how the U.S. Navy has every intention to deploy a railgun on their ships by the time 2016 arrives, but railguns are not the only weapons of choice for their fleet. It seems that Navy engineers happen to be making final adjustments to a laser weapon prototype which will deploy aboard the USS Ponce later this summer, being a first of its kind to boot. This prototype happens to be an improved version of the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), where it will undergo at-sea testing in the Persian Gulf.
Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder shared, “This is a revolutionary capability. It’s absolutely critical that we get this out to sea with our sailors for these trials, because this very affordable technology is going to change the way we fight and save lives.”
Navy leaders have done their bit to make sure that directed-energy weapons remain a top priority when it comes to countering asymmetric threats, where among them include unmanned and light aircraft as well as small attack boats which could prove to be an obstacle when it comes to denying U.S. forces access to selected areas. High-energy lasers happen to be the ideal weapon that counter such threats at the speed of light without sacrificing on accuracy and limited ammunition count. [Press Release]
Navy Engineers To Deploy Laser Weapon Later This Summer , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Military, laser, navy, 
Apr 03
ThinkGeek is showing off an interesting new product called the Laser-guided Tactical Necktie. It’s aimed at the man who has to wear a tie in the corporate warzone. The necktie goes around your neck like a normal tie, but has special features to help you get ahead in the office – and to torment kitties.
Up top, the tie has a D-loop where you can attach essentials like a grenade or maybe a can of squeeze cheese. Under that is a removable pouch with a buckle where you can keep matches for starting the fire you use to burn the place down next time your check is late.
Underneath that pouch is a molle system, which lets you hang more manly stuff, like bacon-wrapped bacon. The coolest part is the laser pointer in a removable pouch on the bottom. With that pointer, you can torment random kitties with the red dot of death or use the laser to burn out the retinas of your enemy in the cubicle next door.
Now to crush your dreams, this is one of those famous ThinkGeek April Fools’ Day pranks. To give you a bit of hope back, ThinkGeek has a history of making their prank products real – so you never know.
Mar 30
To celebrate the 10th birthday of Arduino, the folks at laser cutter shop Just Add Sharks decided to make a laser cutter run by an Arduino Pro Mini. To make things more fun, they made it so their laser cutter is controlled using two knobs just like an Etch A Sketch. They even made the controller look just like the toy.
As with the Etch A Sketch, one of the knobs moves the laser vertically while the other makes it move horizontally. The laser cutter can not only etch, it also has a high powered mode that actually cuts through an object. That sounds awesome, but on the other hand you can’t erase or undo the process – no matter how hard you shake it.
Turn the knobs on your browser and head to Just Add Sharks’ blog for more on the hack.
[via Hacked Gadgets]
Mar 30
The laser-crazy toymaker Patrick Priebe recently shared what he admits to be the dumbest thing he’s ever made: lasers mounted on a pair of goggles. There are actually two pairs of lasers on the goggles, with the lower-powered red beams used for aiming.
Patrick was inspired by Cyclops, but any X-Men fan will tell you that Scott’s optic blast is more of a sledgehammer than a laser beam – it won’t burn you, but it will push you through a mountain. On the other hand, anyone who’s a fan of life will tell you not to argue with a madman packing lasers and flamethrowers.
Gene Splice your browser and head to Patrick’s website for more of his custom weapons.
[via Engadget]
Mar 03
The team responsible for protecting Israel’s commercial jets at the Israel Ministry of Defense have announced that they’re about to start doing it with lasers. They’ll be protecting these craft … Continue reading
Feb 18
Lasers certainly can’t be classified under conventional ordnance at this point in time, taking such technology in combat is offered deemed to be too futuristic, something straight out of Star Wars if you will. But the U.S. Navy has its sights set on the future, and its more than willing to take lasers into combat. It has revealed plans of deploying the first laser gun on a ship later this year, and also has plans to test an electromagnetic rail gun prototype on a ship as well within the next two years.
U.S. Navy Set To Deploy First Laser On Ship This Year original content from Ubergizmo. 
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