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London's Boris bikes kitted out with lasers in the name of safety
If there's one universal truth, it's that everything is better with lasers: sharks, dinosaurs, Facebook, and now... Boris bikes. Under a new safety trial, Transport for London has fitted 250 of the capital's pushbikes-for-hire with a laser-projection system that beams the familiar stickman bicycle logo onto the ground ahead of the cyclist. With a six metre lead on the rider, the projection is intended to alert motorists to the close presence of the cyclist, who could be cruising in the driver's blind spot at the time. In early tests, the laser projection was said to improve the nighttime visibility of bikers when compared with the regular LED headlamps currently in use. The tech itself is being provided by UK upstart Blaze, which already sells the Laserlight as a handlebar add-on for any bicycle. Should the 10-or-so week trial be deemed successful, the plan is to retrofit all 11,500 Boris bikes with the dynamo-driven projection system.
Audi's Sport Quattro Laserlight concept officially debuts at CES
Audi teased us with concept drawings of its Sport Quattro Laserlight months ago, and tonight it decided to show off the vehicle in the flesh (or metal and carbon fiber) at CES. Before we wax about the auto's looks, it's important to note the machine's technical details, as they alone inspire a fair bit of awe. The car's titular feature is its headlights, whose laser light can cut through through five football fields of darkness. Aside from the futuristic headlamps, the car's calling card is the combination of electric and gas motors -- the latter of which takes it 90 miles per gallon -- for a whopping 700 horsepower. Simply put, Audi's crafted the Laserlight to look stunning from any angle. From the front, its rectangular beams offer a dose of futurism, and its large grille looks eager to breathe in as much air as possible while tearing through the freeway. From the sides, it's difficult to ignore how the top of the car swoops down into its base, still leaving room for two seats in the rear. From behind, the iconic lights make a return alongside a carbon fiber accent, which can be found as trim in other areas of the hybrid. Of course, there's still no word on price or availability, as the automobile is still in the conceptual stage. To ogle at Audi's Sport Quattro Laserlight yourself, take a peek at the gallery above.
Caltech laser accelerometer research may bring fine-tuned position tracking, grocery ads
One way that sensors can track your position without using an array of satellites is by measuring your acceleration as you move around -- but unless you're piloting a jumbo jet, current devices aren't very accurate. Researchers at Caltech hope to change all that with a new, ultra-sensitive accelerometer they developed, which uses laser light to detect motion changes. The scientists managed to shrink a so-called large-scale interferometer down to micro-scale sizes, creating a device "thousands of times faster than the most sensitive sensors used today." That could allow a smartphone with such a micro-sensor to detect your exact position even while inside a grocery store, and flash "ads and coupons for hot dog buns" while you're in the bread aisle, according to Caltech. All that sounds good, but we can perhaps think of more inspiring uses for the new tech.
Scientists produce laser light from human kidney cells, we get in touch with our inner Cyclops
Scientists have just created living laser light out of a human cell and some jellyfish protein, but it's not quite as terrifying as it sounds. Developed by Malte Gather and Seok Hyun Yun at Massachusetts General Hospital, the new technique revolves around something known as green fluorescent protein (GFP) -- a naturally glowing molecule found in jellyfish that can be used to illuminate living material. After genetically engineering a human kidney cell to express this protein, Gather and Yun wedged it between two mirrors in an inch-long cylinder, filled with a GFP solution. Then, they infused the system with blue light, until the cell began to emit its own pulses of bright green laser light. Researchers also noticed that the cell could regenerate any destroyed fluorescent proteins, potentially paving the way for scientists to conduct light-based therapy and medical imaging without an external laser source. Hit the source link for more information, though you'll need a subscription to Nature Photonics to access the full article.
NASA considering beamed energy propulsion for space launches
Truth be told, it probably does take a rocket scientist to truly understand the scope of what NASA is currently investigating, but the gist of it isn't hard to grok. America's premiere space agency is purportedly examining the possibility of using beamed energy propulsion to launch spacecraft into orbit, and while we've seen objects lofted by mere beams before, using a laser to leave the atmosphere is a whole 'nother ballgame. The reasons are fairly obvious: a laser-based propulsion system would effectively nix the chance of an explosive chemical reaction taking place at launch, and it would "make possible a reusable single-stage rocket that has two to five times more payload space than conventional rockets, which would cut the cost of sending payloads into low-Earth orbit." We're told that the study should be concluded by March, but only heaven knows how long it'll be before we see any of this black magic used to launch rockets. Sadly, we can't expect any Moon missions to rely on lasers for at least 50 or so years, but we're guessing that timeline could be shortened dramatically if Sir Richard Branson were to get involved. [Image courtesy of Jordin Kare]
Japanese scientists make breakthrough in space-based laser power
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Osaka University have been working together to develop a device which converts sunlight into laser-light with four times the efficiency of previous attempts. According to a report out of Tokyo, the team is working on Space-based solar power systems which can collect sunlight in space and convert it into laser light, which is then transmitted to Earth and used for electricity... or to power a massive Death-Ray. The project works by storing sunlight-based energy in plate made from a sintered powder of metals like chromium and neodymium. When weak laser light is shined onto the plate, the stored energy is transferred to the laser where its strength is amplified by a factor of four. In one test, a 0.5-watt laser was amplified to 180-watts by the plates. Scientists have thus far been able to garner 40-percent of the solar energy produced, and they hope to have a system ready for satellite mounting by the not-too-distant year 2030. Huzzah! [Warning: read link requires subscription]
