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New Real Life Laser-Rifle Cuts Through Metal Like a Blowtorch

Posted by samzenpus on from the like-a-hot-knife-through-butter dept.

dryriver writes "We've seen real laser guns before pulling off tricks like starting small fires, or popping black balloons. That's cool, sure, but it's got nothing—on this handheld laser rifle. Developed by TWI this laser-cutter was initially designed for use by robots, but a few recent tweaks including a pistol-grip and a trigger made it into a human-sized rifle. It is designed specifically with nuclear decommission in mind, specifically chopping up huge pieces of metal infrastructure into bite-sized bits that are easily disposed of. And while it's definitely suited for that, it has some short-comings compared typical rifles. That range is pretty low, for instance, and it's not exactly mobile."

6 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. of course it isn't mobile by peragrin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    WE don't have high energy portable power sources.

    We really need to figure out an iron many style reactor to power the next generation of cool toys that we can dream but not really use.

    --
    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    1. Re:of course it isn't mobile by Subm · · Score: 5, Funny

      "You're going to need a bigger shark."

    2. Re: of course it isn't mobile by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Funny

      I didn't see any light...

      I would advise not to look at it with the other eye then.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  2. Safety at Work by CaptainOfSpray · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "designed specifically with nuclear decommission in mind, specifically chopping up huge pieces of metal infrastructure into bite-sized bits", which it vaporizes and then throws all over the operator (photo in TFA).

    Note to self: do not apply for that kind of work, no matter what the rate.

    --
    "Cock Up Your Beaver" does not mean what you think. This sig is intended to clog filters and annoy do-gooders
    1. Re:Safety at Work by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'm a trifle surprised that they'd be using some fancy laser apparatus in this situation:

      There are aspects of nuclear decommissioning (if memory serves, some lucky sucker got to deal with the 'eh, we don't know what this is, so we'll just weld it into barrels and leave it for the future' supply stored at Hanford, much of which was virulently radioactive, some, which one is always a surprise, also chemically unpleasant and/or explosive) where you can't get away with the heat, open flames, and vaporized-bits-getting everywhere that you see with lasers, various cutting torches, or high powered saws. For that sort of thing, you have somewhat exotic toys like liquid nitrogen cutting jets. If you are allowed to expose the sample to ridiculous temperatures and open flames, though, why expensive lasers rather than boring (and mature and relatively cheap) cutting torches or thermic lances?

  3. more torch then rifle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I find it hard to call this a "laser rifle." Aside fromt he fact that rifles are rifles because of the rifling in the barrel (grooves which cause the bullet to spin), Rifles have a medium to long range. This appears to have only a slightly greater effective range then my Oxy-Fuel torch (which is to say, less then a foot).