Awesome Lasers

By using a Spyder III Krypton green laser beam to light strips of flash paper set into bottles with a small amount of alcohol in them, WorldScott puts on not only a cool, but short pyrotechnics show, but plays a little tune.

If you’ve never seen laser cutting up close and personal, here’s a nifty little video that shows off a map of Atlanta, Georgia being precision-cut with a computer-guided laser cutter. Buy the maps here.

An ingenious bike light that adds a pair of red laser-powered lane markers on either side of you, alerting drivers to keep their distance, and increasing visibility. Also has a bright LED tail light.

A pocket-size version of the popular laser virtual keyboard, this compact new model pairs with smartphones, tablets and any other Bluetooth-enabled device to provide a tabletop typewriter.

Attach the 32″ LaserSaber to one of Wicked Lasers’ powerful Spyder III laser pointers, and you’ll have yourself the closest thing to an honest-to-goodness lightsaber this side of the Jedi Academy.

Laser beams can be fun (and a little dangerous), as is demonstrated by this setup in which a number of balloons are sequentially targeted by lasers and eventually blown to smithereens.

The master of lasers works his light-bending magic in Disneyland’s ElecTRONica. We love the part where he “picks up” the laser beams and twirls them like batons. How do you do that again?

AIST and Keio University have invented a device that projects true three-dimensional images in mid-air or underwater. Two things: the flicker isn’t bad in person, and holy crap, that kid is an engineer?!

Wicked’s new laser has a range of 85 miles, so no aiming at any orbiting satellites, because it could mess up their sensors. It can also blind pilots since it’s 8,000 times brighter than the sun. Whoa.

Ever wanted to know how to modify a cheap Bic lighter into a laser pointer that still lights a cigarette? Thanks to kipkay, now we all do. Kids: pretend that you don’t. (Thanks Benton!)

This 1W laser not only cranks out a tremendously intense beam thanks to the blue-laser diode from a Casio projector, it looks like a lightsaber, and can inflict serious damage, even from a distance.

Be careful when trying to sit on this furniture – you might just end up with your butt on the floor. While sofas and tables made from laser beams and fiber optics look really cool, they sure aren’t practical.

Look away from the light – this stage jacket from Taiwan-based designer Wie-Chieh Shih is loaded with 200 laser diodes and gives a fresh meaning to the phrase “you’ll shoot your eye out.”

Nobody will question your masculinity with these tough-ass looking skull rings from Duann Scott. Each one is designed using 3D modeling software, then laser-sintered together, particle-by-particle.

Wicked Lasers’ Spyder III Pro is smaller than a MagLite but emits up to a 500mW red or blue beam; the Class IV laser boasts an 6061-T6 aluminum body and includes safety shades.

Because even Sith Lords need to do PowerPoint presentations: these Lightsaber Laser Pointers are available in Vader and Maul styles, perfect for pointing out, say, two-meter exhaust vents.

So powerful you’ll need a safety key to activate it, Laserglow’s Scorpius Laser pumps out over 500 mW of 1064 nm (infrared) light; its typical peak output is a scorching 750 mW.

Coming soon: Wicked Laser’s 2010 PRO Series increases safety and power for their Spyder, Evolution and Executive lasers, with the Spyder III going Class IV with 500 mw of output.

Nothing gets us more excited than lasers, especially ones that are borderline dangerous; Wicked Lasers’ Spyder II GX outputs 200-300mW with a range of over 100 miles.