I must admit, this week in science has been awesome. We have discussion about finding our first alien life from space and now we have fucking laser guns!
Sure, it probably can't kill a person or shoot through walls... yet. But it runs on batteries and is a legitimate laser pistol. If this could be built by a DIY hobbyist, then imagine what the military could be doing.
Wait... now I am somewhat scared.
Sehkmaenzo
Joined: Jun 29 2010
Posts: 1818
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 11:26 am
I NEED ONE OF THESE! Wait, that's not entirely true. I NEED TWO OF THESE!
Akimbo or nothing for me
I would shoot people in the eye with this. Also, I would probably go in a balloon genocide rage
Beach Bum
Joined: Dec 08 2010
Location: At the pants party.
Posts: 1777
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 11:27 am
This is so cool. If this guy can do it, the military has to already have something more powerful...
GPFontaine
Joined: Dec 06 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 11244
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 11:54 am
Beach Bum wrote:
This is so cool. If this guy can do it, the military has to already have something more powerful...
I am guessing that the problem isn't making a laser gun powerful enough to shoot through a tank, but rather making it powerful enough to shoot through a tank, but not through the entire city block behind it.
JoshWoodzy
Joined: May 22 2008
Location: Goshen, VA
Posts: 6544
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 11:56 am
Well like scientists have said before, it's still light. So shooting through smoke or fog reduces the accuracy and how powerful it is by a lot.
i'll_bite_your_ear
Title: Distillatoria
Joined: Jun 09 2010
Location: van down by the river
Posts: 3707
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 12:00 pm
i would open my beer with it.
it was the best of times
it was the blurst of times
Sehkmaenzo
Joined: Jun 29 2010
Posts: 1818
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 12:03 pm
You're not thinking of the morale effect.
Imagine being shot. Bad.
Now imagine being shot with a laser gun. Doesn't that just make you wanna surrender and apply to join the enemy's military?
It's the same reason I believe the military isn't investing hard enough on giant robots :/
Atma
Title: Dragoon
Joined: Apr 29 2010
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 2450
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 01:59 pm
The other issue is, imagine the power source needed to provide a powerful enough shot?
You'd have HUGE battery packs everywhere being carried around.
I've seen stuff on Rail-Gun Technology and that shit is Wicked.
Quote:
A railgun is an entirely electrical gun that accelerates a conductive projectile along a pair of metal rails using the same principles as the homopolar motor. Railguns use two sliding or rolling contacts[1] that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts with the strong magnetic fields generated by the rails and this accelerates the projectile.
The U.S. Navy has tested a railgun that accelerates a 3.2 kg (7 pound) projectile to 2.4 kilometers per second (7,875 feet per second).[2] They gave the project the Latin motto "Velocitas Eradico", which they translate as "Speed Destroys" but can more accurately be translated "I am speed and I destroy."
"expected performance is a muzzle velocity over 5,800 m/s, accurate enough to hit a 5 meter target over 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) away while firing at 10 shots per minute."
I have to imagine that the projectile is impacted by gravity.
On the other hand, I doubt that a laser would be bound by the same constraint. It would probably not curve with the earth, but rather shoot out straight into the atmosphere. Light makes everything different... I wonder if anyone has research on this.
Here's a cool little video I found on the Rail Gun Stuff.
The Opponent
Title: Forum Battle WINNER
Joined: Feb 24 2010
Location: The Danger Zone
Posts: 3495
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 08:04 pm
SnesGuy wrote:
Now we can play earth defense 2017 for real!
Only if someone can come up with that laser weed wacker thing with the dozen short beams.
I'm not a bad enough dude, but I am an edgy little shit. I'll do what I can.
Knyte
2010 SLF Tag Champ*
Title: Curator Of The VGM
Joined: Nov 01 2006
Location: Here I am.
Posts: 6749
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 09:59 pm
Since laser are just light radiation, couldn't you make yourself "bulletproof" to them, by simply wearing armor covered with mirrors?
Teralyx
Title: Master Exploder
Joined: Jun 04 2008
Location: Goldenrod City
Posts: 1419
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 10:02 pm
If the light was intense enough, I think it would still melt through a mirror
<TheFlamingSchnitzel> Didn't your mom teach you not to punch girls?
<FigNewton> I was too busy /punchin' her/
i'll_bite_your_ear
Title: Distillatoria
Joined: Jun 09 2010
Location: van down by the river
Posts: 3707
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 10:13 pm
if the intensity is high enough the mirror would melt before it could reflect the light.
it was the best of times
it was the blurst of times
GPFontaine
Joined: Dec 06 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 11244
Posted:
Mar 10 2011 11:31 pm
Knyte wrote:
Since laser are just light radiation, couldn't you make yourself "bulletproof" to them, by simply wearing armor covered with mirrors?
Bulletproof! Er... laserproof?
Valdronius
Moderator
Title: SydLexia COO
Joined: Aug 22 2005
Location: The Great White North
Posts: 4464
Posted:
Mar 11 2011 12:12 am
One of these and a disco ball could be the new Russian Roulette.
Klimbatize wrote:
A Hispanic dude living in Arizona knows a lot of Latinas? That's fucking odd.
i'll_bite_your_ear
Title: Distillatoria
Joined: Jun 09 2010
Location: van down by the river
Posts: 3707
Posted:
Mar 11 2011 01:10 am
that would be a disco revival that makes sense.
it was the best of times
it was the blurst of times
The Opponent
Title: Forum Battle WINNER
Joined: Feb 24 2010
Location: The Danger Zone
Posts: 3495
Posted:
Mar 11 2011 10:05 am
One lucky participant will be as dead as disco. How meta.
I'm not a bad enough dude, but I am an edgy little shit. I'll do what I can.
Knyte
2010 SLF Tag Champ*
Title: Curator Of The VGM
Joined: Nov 01 2006
Location: Here I am.
Posts: 6749
Posted:
Mar 12 2011 12:29 am
If laser wars break out, I need to hunt down Shawn Michaels and steal some of his old entrance attire.
Blackout
Title: Captain Oblivious
Joined: Sep 01 2007
Location: That Rainy State
Posts: 10376
Posted:
Mar 12 2011 04:53 pm
Neato, but I'm sure plain old bullets are more cost effective, the military will probably just continue using lasers for sighting / munitions guidance.
Drew Linky
Wizard
Joined: Jun 12 2009
Posts: 4209
Posted:
Mar 12 2011 07:20 pm
Holy crispy crap. Does anyone else suddenly think of the tau cannon from Half Life?
https://discord.gg/homestuck is where you can find me literally 99% of the time. Stop on by if you feel like it, we're a nice crowd.
GPFontaine
Joined: Dec 06 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 11244
Posted:
Mar 12 2011 10:02 pm
Atma, I just watched the video, it seems pretty scary when they scatter blast these things. It is like raining death.
