lasers

Incoming! Self-guiding bullet could strike from a mile away

A new design for a self-guiding bullet could allow sharpshooters to accurately fire at targets a full mile away.

The bullet, which is still in a prototype phase, is the brainchild of Sandia National Laboratories researchers Red Jones and Brian Kast. It is designed with built-in actuators and tiny fins that should allow it to rapidly adjust its path in flight.

Designed with the military, law enforcement, and recreational shooters as potential customers, the bullet is four inches long and has an optical sensor embedded in its nose for the detection of a laser on its target, Sandia said in … Read more

Delivering anesthesia via contact lenses

Eye drops are so 1.0. Not only can they be messy and inconvenient to apply, they deliver medicine to treat dryness and other issues in imprecise volumes so quickly that they need to be reapplied every few hours.

And for those applying eye drops after laser eye surgery--when the eyes are especially tender--they can be a real pain.

Which is why researchers at the University of Florida are working to design contact lenses already helpful in protecting the eyes post-surgery that can extend the release time of anesthesia to help with this post-surgery pain.

The trick, chemist Anuj Chauhan … Read more

Crave 72: Laser sharks in 3D (podcast)

Fresh from CES 2012, Eric, Donald, and Bonnie wrap up all the best CES tech they missed during their week in Vegas. On deck is a touch-screen window, an R2-worthy 3D projector, Kinect-controlled skateboards, toilet tech, zombie tech, and of course, Geek News.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

The $100K way to get 3D sharks in your house

LAS VEGAS--Does your home feel empty without 3D sharks swimming around to keep you company?

A Japanese company named Burton (not to be confused with the folks who make outdoor gear) has come up with a glasses-free solution it calls the Aerial 3D Display. It creates a "plasma emission phenomenon" it says is similar to lightning, while pointing multi-colored lasers to create dot arrays that move to give the illusion of movement.

A demo of the technology in its smaller form was running here at CES with 3D sharks, apples, and words projected in 3D that could get to about 8 inches in size. The company has also created a larger version that a company spokesman said could create projections just shy of 10 feet. … Read more

Photoacoustic device identifies cancer before tumors form

Early detection of skin cancer may soon be possible, thanks to researchers who compare their approach to looking for a black 18-wheeler in an eight-lane highway of white cars.

The new technique for melanoma detection, proposed by researchers at the University of Missouri, uses photoacoustics (laser-induced ultrasound) to find cancer cells before they form into tumors. Testing could cost just a few hundred dollars. The current method of detection, by comparison, requires waiting for tumors to form and can cost thousands of dollars.

"Using a small blood sample, our device and method will provide an earlier diagnosis for aggressive … Read more

HP firmware to 'mitigate' LaserJet vulnerability

Hewlett-Packard said today that it has taken steps to prevent a "certain type of unauthorized access" to LaserJet printers.

The company didn't describe its new firmware as a fix for the potential printer problem. Rather, it rather delicately used the word "mitigate," the dictionary definition of which is "to make less severe or painful." Here's HP's full statement on the matter:

HP has built a firmware update to mitigate this issue and is communicating this proactively to customers and partners. No customer has reported unauthorized access to HP. HP reiterates its … Read more

The 404 956: Where the files are IN the computer? (podcast)

Leaked from 404 Podcast 956:

The future of airport security: thermal lie detectors and cloned sniffer dogs. Facebook's most-shared articles of 2011 list shows babies, banks, and brats. Fios is coming to an Xbox 360 near you. Could your printer be a Trojan horse? Researchers say yes!… Read more

Laser display could mean 3D sans screens

When "Star Wars" projected a hologram of Princess Leia in 1977, lots of viewers surely dreamed that the technology could one day become real.

Some 34 years later, Japanese display company Burton is working on something akin to George Lucas' vision with a projector that focuses laser light into moving 3D shapes capable of being displayed in air or under water.

If this technology continues to advance, we could one day have 3D experiences without the need for glasses or even a screen. To create the effect, focused laser light excites the naturally occurring oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the air, otherwise known as plasma excitation.

The current prototype can manifest up to 50,000 points of light at 10-15 frames per second, while efforts are already underway to improve that to a film-like 24-30fps. Those cringing at the Unix-esque green scheme can be rest assured this 3D display is not limited to just green: the traditional red, green, and blue color mix can be combined to create full-color 3D moving images. … Read more

Buy it now, for real: eBay to refer sales to nearby stores

SAN JOSE, Calif.--eBay knows that half of all Christmas shoppers miss its December 16 shipping deadline for getting presents under the tree in time, and it wants to help the stragglers.

The e-commerce giant's idea is to make it easy for shoppers to find the item they're looking for--say, a Nintendo Wii--that's for sale and in stock at a store near them and to select and pay for it in advance through a mobile app.

The technology has been rolled into the latest version of eBay's RedLaser mobile app, which allows users to search for … Read more