Skarp Laser Razor on Kickstarter

Kickstarter has allowed lots of projects to become real, but we now have one that seems straight out of a sci-fi movie: a laser razor.

3D Laser Map of New York

In search for maximum efficiency and in order to better understand which areas will be prone to flooding, the city of New York used a plane with a LIDAR system (think of a much more accurate kind of radar using lasers) to create the most accurate representation of New York in 3D.

Thanks to this detailed model, the city can now accurately identify the best rooftops suitable for solar panel installations, as well as many other uses for environment and security .

... but don't think lasers awesomeness or strictly earth bound. Check NASA's LISA project, which aims to put three spacecrafts in space, 5 million kilometers apart of each other, and shooting lasers back and forth, allowing it to detect gravitational waves - something predicted by Einstein's Relativity Theory, but which has proved difficult to observe and measure in the real world.

via [Gizmodo, NYT]

Augmented Reality Laser Windshield by GM

GM is looking into a augmented reality laser windshield that will assist your driving in hazardous situations (like during the night or other low-visibility situations like fog.)

Unlike current automotive head-up displays, which use just a small portion of the windshield, GM's laser system can use the full extent of the windshield and takes into account the drivers head and eyes position and orientation to provide a accurate projection of the information over the "real world."


I want one of these in my next car! :)

3D Mapping with LIDAR

Google's Streetview next step?

With these autonomous robots, anyone can now map a large area in 3D with laser precision.

The trick about these ROAMS is that they use a lower cost 2D LIDAR and a rotating mirror to do the job of the much more expensive 3D LIDAR systems. This means that they can drop the price from $100,000 to just about $6,000.

Truth be told, Google already uses LIDAR in their streetview vehicles, but I doubt they're capturing such accurate measurements as these one. But, who knows? Maybe a Lidar Mapped Streetview 3D is just around the corner! :)

Laser Projectors

I don't even have to tell you how desperate I am to see one of those LaserVue sets - the ones using lasers as light sources and therefore able to show colors well beyond traditional technologies.

While LaserVue is a rearprojection TV set, it seems that the same concept will soon be used in front projection systems.

Up till now, 35mm film has regarded as the reference in color reproduction, able to reproduce 60% of the color gamut visible by the human eye.
However, these laser projector are capable of reproducing 80% of the visible spectrum - becoming the new reference.
(And, with more pwerful lasers, it might even reach 90% of the visible color range!)

I just hope these projectors arrive to my local cinemas soon - or even better - that I can afford one at home! :)

Mitsubishi LaserVue

At last, something to look forward.

My 50" Sony RPTV is already looking small and shrinking by the day.

Even though I wouldn't mint having one of these, I don't think I would be able to afford it even if its price drops 50% in the next couple of years.

However, these LaserVue sets from Mistubishi, with 65" and 75" (75" would really fit my living room) can theoretically be a lot more affordable. They're still rear projection sets, but they use Lasers instead of traditional light sources. Not only that makes it a lot more efficient (just 200W) it provides a much wider color range.

Now, I just need to start saving...

via [Engadget]

Laser Harps - a "New" 28 Year Old Instrument

I'm beginning to feel old...


[Youtube video]

When I see news like these, advertising laser harps as being a brand new and original thing -I can't help but wonder, where were these guys 20 years agos?
(Probably they weren't even born)

This is far from new, and I recall seeing Jean Michel Jarre using it many years ago, as you can see in the classic Rendez-Vous 2:


[Youtube video]