[url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100616/tod-deadly-star-wars-lightsabre-sells-on-870a197.html]Source[/url]
[quote]A handheld laser likened to a Star Wars lightsabre and so powerful it can instantly blind or "set fire to skin and other body parts" is on sale on the web.
The device - with a beam 1,000 times stronger than sunlight on the skin - is touted by makers as "the most dangerous laser ever created".
Trading standards chiefs say they are "seriously concerned" about the sale of the Spyder III Pro Arctic model and warn against its use.
As well as blinding, burning and causing cancer, its Hong Kong-based maker, Wicked Lasers, admits that "a split-second laser light in a plane cockpit (...) can be disastrous".
Star Wars fans are among hundreds of people who have already shown an interest in buying the laser, for sale to the general public for £135.
Laser safety expert John Colton, director of Lucid Optical Services, told Sky News Online that the lasers were "horrendously dangerous".
"Under no circumastances should they be on sale on the internet," he said.
Mr Colton said the 1W beam was 1,000 times stronger than laser pointers normally available to the public.
They could be "deadly" if aimed at car drivers or even pilots in planes, Mr Colton added.
Wicked say the device would have cost thousands of pounds to build not long ago, but technological advances have made it available much more cheaply.
"Don't let the Arctic name fool you, this laser possesses the most burning capabilities of any portable laser in existence," the website says.
"That's why it's also the most dangerous laser ever created."
The website goes on to warn: "Extremely dangerous is an understatement to the power of 1W of laser power.
"It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts."
It adds that users should use eye protection and must read and agree the "Laser Hazard Acknowledgment Form".
News of the laser has sparked a flurry of excitement on social networking websites.
One person wrote: "Real lasers that resemble Star Wars lightsabres, that can burn skin, cut through plastic and ignite matches - yes please."
Another wrote: "The fact that it looks like a lightsabre is even cooler."
One more said: "I must have this. Birthday present anyone? I will KILL things, with FIRE."
Christine Heemskerk, lead officer for product safety at the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), said the items should not be on sale to the general public.
"We are seriously concerned about the sale of these products which should only be for industrial use."
Ms Heemskerk added that because the lasers were manufactured abroad, there was nothing the TSI could do to stop their sale over the internet.[/quote]
[img]http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/skynews/20100616/05/63438694-deadly-star-wars-lightsabre-sells-web.jpg[/img]
Take [B]that[/B], Trading Standards Institute, Lucid Optical Services and all those other fags.
And so we began making real lightsabers.
Oh god what have they done
Sure does sounds like a terrorist weapon. I have a 100 mW laser, and it is pretty capable of burning through stuff. Wouldn't want to know what a thing with 10 times that power can do.
Holy shit, instantly blind people permanently?
Think what would happen if some crazy guy brought this to a mall or something.
finally my dream of being a level 59 jedi with a level 132 sith lightsaber can come truee
Lasers are becoming more and more powerful, in the end it'll be illegal to point it downwards or it'll cut the earth in half.
That’s fucking amazing.
[editline]09:43AM[/editline]
I want one.
I bought one. Am waiting for it to arrive.
Do want
I must have this. Birthday present anyone? I will KILL things, with FIRE.
Now I have a way of spreading FREE CANCER!
Id prefer one that shoots gamma rays
[QUOTE=Paravin;22655239]finally my dream of being a level 59 jedi with a level 132 sith lightsaber can come truee[/QUOTE]
You still haven't got there yet? You're a baddie.
Is anyone else terrified of this thing? I really don't want to be walking down the street and get blinded for life because some thirteen year old thought it'd be hilarious to blind people from his bedroom window.
Happy birthday Jeffrey now you're like those Jedis! Go out and have fun sport.
Spyder overrates their lasers grotesquely, I bought one of their 1W diodes and measured it on a lumal sphere, the output turned out to be around 400 mW
In short, this isn't actually a 1W laser- more like less than half that.
Real 1W lasers are illegal almost everywhere as they're a class up from the mW range
[editline]10:08AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=SwissArmyKnife;22655920]Is anyone else terrified of this thing? I really don't want to be walking down the street and get blinded for life because some thirteen year old thought it'd be hilarious to blind people from his bedroom window.
Happy birthday Jeffrey now you're like those Jedis! Go out and have fun sport.[/QUOTE]
The chances of a thirteen year old ever coming into contact with something as expensive and incredibly illegal as this are near zero
where can i get one?
also, lol "most dangerous laser ever created"
When I was an arc welder we would use 300w infrared argon lasers which could boil steel, this is nothing- I think they mean "most powerful handheld laser"
[editline]10:09AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=cathal6606;22655966]where can i get one?[/QUOTE]
You can't, unless you have a job which requires one and thousands of dollars
Unless they're talking about the wicked model, which uses a laser taken out of a DVD burner (or projector), which is incredibly dangerous and if it was activated anywhere near your eyes infrared light could easily burn your corneas off
i need this
it is a requirement as much as food and water is
quick someone give me £135
Because the beam has untold amounts of IR as well, you could get skin cancer from using this quite easily
seriously
Yeah, Wicked Lasers are selling this. It's insane. Why would you allow the general public to blind people at long range?
because they're hardcore
Putting this on sale, if it is as dangerous as they claim and not just all talk (like Vadi said) is quite possibly [i][b]the[/b][/i] worst thing to sell to the general public [i]ever[/i]. Kids seem to love shining far less powerful lasers into people's faces and eyes despite the fact that all of them have massive warning labels on them specifically telling you not to do that. There will certainly be dumb fuck parents out there who unthinkingly buy these for their dolt children.
Just another reason not to go outside.
Take that, parents. :smug:
This is the reason I'm glad we have a limit on lasers we can own in the UK. I'm seriously worried about lasers, my eyesight is bad enough already. Most people don't take it seriously how dangerous lasers can be, I mean hell.
Brilliant. I can't wait to be blinded by a 15-year old chav.
We have 10W lasers in the laboratory and someone got a serious burn mark from it as he forgot that it's on due to protective glasses.
This is not good.
[editline]11:05AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Winslow;22655232][img]http://www.pangolin.com/faa/images/FAA-simulator_4-pics.gif[/img][/QUOTE]
While this is pretty impressive, it's still bullshit. You can't hold a laser steady enough at those distances.
Handheld it probably wouldn't even stay for 1/1000th of a second, given this distance.
Sight is not the problem here. Not for planes. Instruments and damage to the eyes however is.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
