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Awesome Lasers

Mowing a Lawn with a Laser

Mowing a Lawn with a Laser

There are a number of robotic lawnmowers on the market, but rctestflight wanted something more modern than spinning blades to cut his grass. So he set out to build a lawnmower robot with a 40-watt cutting laser in place of a blade. It works quite slowly though, and his drone motor lawnmower seems more effective.

Laser Pops Balloons

Laser Pops Balloons

When it comes to showing the power of small lasers, popping black balloons is one of the most effective demonstrations. With the right kind of reflector system, laser beams can be guided to hit precise targets, so they can pop numerous balloons in sequence like in this satisfying short video using a Wicked Lasers LaserCube.

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Cleaning Coins with a Laser

Cleaning Coins with a Laser

We’ve seen how powerful lasers can be used to remove dirt and grime from surfaces. Flare Fabrication shows us how a tightly-focused laser can clean years of tarnish off of copper penny, and programmed the beam to perform the task with style. Watch the laser clean and embellish a dime here.

Laser Tag at Sea

Laser Tag at Sea

In olden times, shuffleboard was the most fun you could have on a cruise. Now it’s laser tag! Pew pew! On the very top deck on very tall Norwegian Cruise Line mega-ships! The planet’s only outdoor laser tag arenas are even awesomer than the only go-cart racetrack at sea on the same deck.

Superman’s Heat Vision IRL

Superman’s Heat Vision IRL

Superman and Homelander both have heat vision. Whether they use their laser eyes for good or evil, it’s quite the spectacle. Hacksmith Industries replicated heat vision in real life by building a wearable rig with high-power lasers and eye-tracking. Of course, they couldn’t resist the urge to use them to burn stuff.

Optic Portable Laser Cutter

Optic Portable Laser Cutter

Laser cutters are useful tools to have in a workshop, but they take up a lot of space. Rendyr’s Optic Laser Cutter folds up small when not in use, and its detachable cutting mat means you can cut on top of objects like tabletops for a virtually limitless work area. It has dual laser diodes totaling 15-watts and a built-in filtration system.

Making Sci-fi Laser Beams

Making Sci-fi Laser Beams

Real laser beams don’t behave like they do in science fiction. Instead of firing in short blasts, they appear as a single coherent beam of light. The Action Lab shows a simple way to achieve the sci-fi effect in camera using a spinning fan blade and by taking advantage of a digital camera’s rolling shutter effect.

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xTool M1 Laser + Blade Cutter

xTool M1 Laser + Blade Cutter

The xTool M1 combines a cutting machine and laser engraver into a single desktop device. Its dual head lets it cut a wider variety of materials than either device alone. It’s available with 5W or 10W lasers, and the higher-power model can cut 8mm thick wood in a single pass. Its 11.8″ x 15.1″ work area is impressive for its size.

Laser Projector Bike GPS

Laser Projector Bike GPS

It’s pretty easy to find a car with a heads-up display these days, but not so much when it comes to bicycles. Wicked Lasers shows off a creative solution – a GPS that projects a directional arrow and distance on the ground using one of its LaserCube laser projectors. It’s like Crazy Taxi, but on a bicycle.

Wooden Laser Synthesizer

Wooden Laser Synthesizer

Rather than go with an off-the-shelf synthesizer, Edward Black Rose built his own from scrap wood. Its wooden keys make strings vibrate between a laser and a photocell, then send that signal to a software synthesizer. It’s not ideal for creating polyphonic sounds, but it’s a clever design nonetheless.

World’s Largest Laser Pointer

World’s Largest Laser Pointer

The guys from TKOR assembled the largest laser pointer we’ve ever seen, wiring together 174 individual laser diodes to create a blinding green set of beams that burns holes through paper and explodes balloons. While it’s not the most powerful laser out there, it is the coolest looking. Be sure to check out the build video.

Serafim Keybo Projection Keyboard

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This pocketable gadget transforms any smooth surface into a touch-based keyboard. It uses a laser to project a virtual keyboard and has the smarts to detect the positions of your fingers and when you type. It connects via Bluetooth or USB and also has a piano layout for playing music using a companion smartphone app.

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LaserCube Piano Key Demo

LaserCube Piano Key Demo

Wicked Lasers shows off a neat use for its LaserCube programmable laser projector and LaserOS software. By syncing up the laser’s beams with MIDI keypresses they’re able to project colorful lights onto the keys of a synthesizer, synced perfectly with the music being performed.

Wainlux L3 Desktop Laser Cutter + Engraver

Wainlux L3 Desktop Laser Cutter + Engraver

This compact desktop laser can cut wood, acrylic, leather, and other textiles, and the 10-watt model can engrave just about anything, including glass and aluminum, and cut through 5mm wood in a single pass. Its bed is large enough for objects up to 8.26″ x 7.48″, and an optional roller allows for engraving cylindrical objects.

Painting Colors with Lasers

Painting Colors with Lasers

Scientists from Russia’s ITMO University have developed a technique that uses lasers to create different colors on a sheet of metal. The laser is used to create oxide layers on a sheet of titanium, producing a variety of colors. The method can even be used to change or erase images multiple times. Read more in Optica.

Restoring a Rusty Table Fan

Restoring a Rusty Table Fan

In this video from Odd Tinkering, they took a rusty old tabletop fan and make it look as good as new. The process involved multiple stages, most notably the use of a laser cleaning machine from W2M, which burns away rust and paint without damaging the underlying metal, along with electrolysis to pull away rust from the fan’s cage.

Scratching Records But with Barcodes

Scratching Records But with Barcodes

We’ve previously seen how the musicians from Electronicos Fantasticos use laser barcode readers in their performance. In this clip from Maker Faire Tokyo 2020, one of their members shows how to make record scratching sounds using the same technique.

Making Round Dice Spinners

Making Round Dice Spinners

Standard 6-sided dice are cube-shaped. But it’s also possible to make cylindrical dice – the trick is that they spin instead of roll. Metalsmith W&M Levsha demonstrates their craft by fabricating a pair of smooth-rolling metal dice spinners, each laser-engraved with six numbers. Tiny magnets ensure they stop in the right spots.

Laser Fabricates a Drone

Laser Fabricates a Drone

Engineers from MIT CSAIL have developed LaserFactory, an innovative fabrication machine that uses a modified laser cutter to create entire devices. It can cut parts, pour silver circuit traces, and place electronic components all in one system. In this video, it makes a drone, which flies straight out of the machine.

Magpie VH-80SE Bilateral Laser Measure

Magpie VH-80SE Bilateral Laser Measure

Laser measuring devices can really come in handy when you need to measure a large space and don’t have someone to hold the other end of the tape. Magpie Tech’s laser measuring tool can project beams in both directions, so you can measure space by standing in the middle of it. It’s great for measuring heights too.

Building a Laser Baby

Building a Laser Baby

(PG-13: Language, Gore) Let’s face it. Michael Reeves has built some weird stuff. Now, thanks to a sponsorship from Amazon series The Boys, he got to build a laser-eyed baby just like the one that Billy Butcher wields in the show. Though he struggles a little to meet the demands of Amazon’s marketing department.

Fiber Laser Cutting Demo

Fiber Laser Cutting Demo

Prima Power shows off the power and speed of one of its impressive fiber lasers. Their 6kW Laser Genius slices through sheet metal of varying thickness like a hot, razor-sharp knife through butter. We can’t believe how easily it got through that metal at 1:20. More laser porn here.

Wainlux K6 Laser Engraver

Wainlux K6 Laser Engraver

There are bigger and more powerful laser engravers out there, but if you’re looking for something compact and inexpensive, this model from Chinese outfit Wainlux looks like a good option. Its 3000mW laser can engrave designs onto wood, leather, fabric, plastic, acrylic, or even food items up to 3.14″ x 3.14″.

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