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3D Animations In Mid-Air Using Plasma Balls
An anonymous reader clues us to research at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology that has produced the ability to make animations by creating small plasma balls in mid-air. The technology doesn't use vapor or strange gases, just lasers to heat up oxygen and nitrogen molecules above the device: up to 1,000 brilliant dots per second, which makes smooth motion possible. When the tech improves it could be used for street signs or advertising.
It seems that the light is coming from the plasma, not the laser, so changing colors might not work. Also, you have to have one laser per pixel. I'd imagine to have two balls, one directly above another, you'd have to be able to tilt another laser to focus its beam at that location (if that makes any sense)
Also - the current display can make 1000 balls? meh. That's a 10px x 10px x 10px display. It's awesome, sure, but the photoshop jobs they're showing are a LONG way off; right now we're looking more at led scroller type displays.
Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
...plasma balls in mid-air is one of the things needed for a fusion reactor.
The game.
Growing up in a mosquito infested area, I often thought that someday, an anti-mosquito laser system could be developed.
This technology could possibly do that. If it can focus a laser on a particular spot long enough to make plasma out of air, it can zap a skeeter!
And you thought a bug-zapper was entertaining...
Did anyone else notice this ? On the linked article source, look at the links on either side of the article:
e -shaped-daikon-radish/a ll-indicates-bumper-rice-crop-to-come/
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/02/marilyn-monro
and
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/02/frozen-waterf
Way to identify the hard science mag!
Eye protection is required for high power lasers because depending on the power (and wavelength) even diffuse (non-specular) reflections off a surface can be hazardous.
They are also important since it is possible the beam path could suddenly change from a bumped mirror or malfunctioning controller and present the beam to an eye. You couldn't close your eyes fast enough to prevent damage with a high power laser (high enough power and the eye lid won't even help obviously).
The pain in the ass thing about laser goggles is that they make the laser you are working with invisible (if it isn't already a non-visible wavelength). Imagine if the shop glasses on the New Yankee Workshop rendered all the sharp spinning metal items non-visible - wouldn't that be a fun shop to work in?
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