What do people do with their lasers?

[Juan]

nice topic.
My cats love it as well. And also it can be used as emergency circumstances, outdoor camping for SOS use. :huh:

 

[HKCHEF]

How about on the end of handguns, rifles, and shotguns for aiming purposes.

 

[Nexttime]

are they just fun to beam about the place,



or is there a 'real world' use for them?

I used a HeNe laser to make holograms in 1985. So, that was more than just waving a laser around for a pet to chase. Was it practical? Not really, I guess, but I still have some nice holograms.

 

[Nikola T Series]

How about on the end of handguns, rifles, and shotguns for aiming purposes.

 

[Nikola T Series]

Are there any trekkies that have installed lasers into a model of the starship Enterprise?
And LEDs for window lights?

 

[snijok]

Holography! There is a need in powerful and vibration-free laser for that. Exceptional quality is needed too.
I used 200mW red battery powered and green-blue 400mW argon lasers to make holograms of different colors.

 

[jolie]

most of our clients to make the laser projector for laser show. Some lab us the laser for physics.

 

[VBurd2128]

Great Topic! I am opening up my own back-alley laser eye surgery clinic

 

[ATF628]

Make my kitty get some exercise. She loves chasing it.

 

[2xTrinity]

Leisure --

I've recorded holograms

Work --

I've recorded holograms (not to make "pretty 3d pictures", but optical elements)
Making interferometers for high-precision alignment/micropositioning
Use tunable wavelength lasers to detect certain molecules/proteins in blood biosensors

 

[whetrock]

I've got a crappy wally world laser and I haven't realy found a practical use for it however it's very entertaining to watch the dog try and run it down.

 

[andyw513]

I've got several I've collected over the years, I use them for a wide array of things:

My <5mw lasers are used to entertain the cats, point things out in presentations, and stuff like that.

The <100mw green, red violet ones are used to point in long distances: "see that rock on that mountain way over there?"

The >100mw greens and reds are used to burn and impress (sometimes I'm a "look what I have" person, I can't help it)

I have one ~1W laser I use only for complete incineration purposes. There's an indescribably odd sense of power you seem to attain when you light a match from over 10 feet away! ...and sometimes I use it for long-er distance pointing: "See that rock on that far mountain...behind the one I just showed you?"

 

[jayflash]

My son received a 100mW green laser and promptly directed it about 300 - 500 feet away into a grassy field of geese with their young goslings. The geese freaked and all quickly ran toward the nearby river and paddled to the opposite bank. That was funny and unexpected because my son hardly moved the green spot around.

 

[ADDISON]

The most fascinating and best use of laser according to me is usage in medical science.Which is helping people in saving their lives.

 

[Illum]

medical lasers are purchased for a specific use, I think this thread mainly concerns with portable lasers affordable in terms of the consumer market, ones typically suffices only for the wow effect...

 

[genius5th]

burn things, point stars out, point at distant objects,

 

[Fernbay]

I have a blue arctic spyder.
Looks spectacular on a dark night with misting rain and the dot pattern lens on

It's 'official' purpose is as a tool for pointing out aerials on rooftops

 

[Mo13]

Is it forbidden by American government?
Just thinking..

As well as it being illegal to point in airspace, it is also illegal to buy, sell, or own any laser pointer with a power greater than 5mW. Bear in mind: there are hundreds of websites that will ship the more powerful lasers into the US, and I have never heard of anyone being caught or arrested or fined in the process of buying a laser that is overpowered.