Pew Pew! China releases "Laser Assault Rifle" with a range of ~1KM

[Spongy141]

20 minutes ago, Swatson said:

It's not even 1kw, you can scorch items with like 50 MILLIWATTS. A 5W laser would easily set your clothes on fire no problem, the carbonization aspect is just the point where the beam hits, and that point is likely to be a few MILIMETERS across. This isnt fallout 4 laser rifle where you turn into a pile of ash. DId you even read the article?
 

https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/01/chinese-company-claims-its-laser-ak-47-can-set-you-on-fire-from-half-a-mile-away/ read it before even was posted here. 50 milliwatts would never reach the said 1km, it would scatter within ~10 feet. Basically sure you can do damage with a 50 milliwatt, but 10kilowatts plus is required for it to reach the said 1km and actually do damage still (make sense now?) So like I was saying, we are still far off being able to do this with today's battery technology, just TOO MUCH POWER is required, OR THIS WOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE. Not as easy as you are thinking it is. 

[BrownBear0311]

6 hours ago, Kukielka said:

Uhm, doesn't that new weapon stand in conflict with the geneva convention?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Certain_Conventional_Weapons#Protocol_IV:_Blinding_Laser_Weapons

No it is not against the Geneva convention as long as it is used as it is intended.  Such as non lethal lazers that we used in the Marine Corps.  The Green Beam Dazzler was considered non-lethal but you could easily blind anyone with it.  It was insanely powerful.

[S w a t s o n]

10 minutes ago, Spongy141 said:

 

Spoiler

 

That's super not how that works. Just because a 5W hobby laser only burns skin at 16 meters away doesn't mean that the second most powerful country in the world couldnt develop something better. The types of lasers listed in that chart aren't even close to whats possible, look at the ruby xenon laser video posted above as an example.

[S w a t s o n]

14 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

My guess is that they're using existing tech.

 

If you take a ruby rod, wrap a xenon flash lamp around it, and put the usual full mirror on one side and a partial mirror on the other, then dump the contents of a capacitor into the xenon tube, it'll produce a very short, but extremely high energy pulse of light.

They are using 2 second pulses apparently, I really wonder how much of the "gun" is just a super capacitor

[ScratchCat]

1 hour ago, Sypran said:

I'm curious about it's effectiveness in unideal conditions.  ie: through a window, fog, exc.

Guy A (Firing laser at enemy through window): Hmm, this laser does not seem to work?

Guy B (Next to Guy A): AAARRGHHH, I cannot see!

2 hours ago, Swatson said:

Assuming the SCMP article is correct, near instant carbonization of clothing and skin. Apparently it's "magazine" or battery is capable of providing 1000 two-second laser pulses.

 

They also apparently have a functioning Gatling Laser.

One also has to account for beam spreading, absorption(As the beam would be IR or UV)  as well as human movement. If the beam does not remain stationary for a reasonable amount of time the location will not be heated enough to do damage/pass through the first layer of the skin.

 

I do not see why the weapon could not simply fire a continuous burst, unless the battery cannot supply the required power constantly cooling the lens should prevent distortion.

[S w a t s o n]

40 minutes ago, ScratchCat said:

One also has to account for beam spreading, absorption(As the beam would be IR or UV)  as well as human movement. If the beam does not remain stationary for a reasonable amount of time the location will not be heated enough to do damage/pass through the first layer of the skin.

 

I do not see why the weapon could not simply fire a continuous burst, unless the battery cannot supply the required power constantly cooling the lens should prevent distortion.

The pulse needs to be generated by storing power in a capacitor, a 2 second pulse is very long as it is. I don't think it would be physically possible to fire such a powerful laser continually without carrying around a super capacitor bank

 

Late edit but it's occurred to me that this isn't even a laser it's a maser, and technically could be shooting fucking microwaves or gamma rays.

Spoiler

A laser is defined as a maser that uses visible light iirc, and this is not visible light.

[mr moose]

5 hours ago, Christophe Corazza said:

 

So many people to use it on... university students, journalists, human rights lawyers, bookshop owners, Tibetans...

 

Made in China... Batteries not included

Tell you what, there are a few of those in first world countries I wouldn't mind using it on...

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/may/19/university-of-melbourne-mathematics-school-advertises-women-only-positions

 

[TechyBen]

7 hours ago, SammyG13 said:

I swear I got a virus just from all the ads on cnet

Me too... and I'm not talking about PC ones.

 

I feel like I'm living in the 1900s seeing the first flight, first rocket launch and first moon landings. It's that kind of time, and sadly, lots of things can thus go wrong.

[Christophe Corazza]

8 minutes ago, mr moose said:

Tell you what, there are a few of those in first world countries I wouldn't mind using it on...

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/may/19/university-of-melbourne-mathematics-school-advertises-women-only-positions

 

Should get your batteries first 

[John Ellmaker]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned pickle rick vs jaguar.

 

Would crossing the beams work any better?  I’m imagining the Super Bowl half time drones all firing on one target at once, any difference than one laser I imagine?

[Mr.Meerkat]

Quote

The pain will be beyond endurance

Surely it's supposed to say "endurable"...

[ARikozuM]

Only read the first page and all I have to say is "Where's Link and his mirror shield?". 

[Clanscorpia]

8 hours ago, Drak3 said:

Yeah, because that means oh so much.

 

Given the world's refusal to move non Chinese industry out of China, there is no reason to care. They can cripple half of the world's economy.

That isn't nearly as impactful as one thinks when, again, a country doesn't share in western values.

 

The geneva convention is a fucking joke, and to potential enemies (like China, Russia, the Middle East), just a metaphorical piece of paper to wipe one's ass with.

The whole point isn't that it doesn't limit things, its the aftermath of the war and the consequences that would come with them. A country isn't stopped right when it break the convention, it's the aftermath that causes actual impact. There's a reason there's such a massive reaction to any use of chemical weapons. Any formal breaking of international law would cripple any country like China that is still trying to get a hand in the world stage.

7 hours ago, Trixanity said:

Well, nothing has happened to the US for violations, so don't count on China getting anything but a stern look.

The US has never technically violated the Geneva convention. China using a weapon that purposefully blinded people would get a very harsh reaction.

[ravenshrike]

4 hours ago, Spongy141 said:

Uh no just no, if you do the math, it just is not fucking possible with the said specs. This is not real news, nothing about this is real. 

I mean, maybe you could get it to work once with 100 pounds of lithium ion batteries strapped to your back. But even then...

4 hours ago, Swatson said:

It's not even 1kw, you can scorch items with like 50 MILLIWATTS. A 5W laser would easily set your clothes on fire no problem, the carbonization aspect is just the point where the beam hits, and that point is likely to be a few MILIMETERS across. This isn't a fallout 4 laser rifle where you turn into a pile of ash. DId you even read the article?
 

 

3 hours ago, Swatson said:

That's super not how that works. Just because a 5W hobby laser only burns skin at 16 meters away doesn't mean that the second most powerful country in the world couldnt develop something better. The types of lasers listed in that chart aren't even close to whats possible, look at the ruby xenon laser video posted above as an example.

Did you see the cap bank on that thing? 4 megawatts of discharge power, and the test bench was set up 2 inches away from the target. Oh, and there was a god damn water chiller about the size that Intel used in their 'demo'.

[S w a t s o n]

5 minutes ago, ravenshrike said:

I mean, maybe you could get it to work once with 100 pounds of lithium ion batteries strapped to your back. But even then...

 

Did you see the cap bank on that thing? 4 megawatts of discharge power, and the test bench was set up 2 inches away from the target. Oh, and there was a god damn water chiller about the size that Intel used in their 'demo'.

Yup it would have an impressive new capacitor technology in it for sure. The water chiller was because the o-ring got vaporized.

This guy is basically a hobbyist in comparison to a real research center, if they design a new technology it isn't necessarily held to the same constraints. That's kind of the point...

[EPENEX]

How long until I can get it shipped in to the U.S. for personal use?

[Okjoek]

(Technically VS weapons use plasma, but W/E)

[rcmaehl]

 

NEAT, it made it to techlinked.

[wojtepanik]

14 hours ago, SammyG13 said:

if you get shot in the eye im sure you can be blind permanently, hell even a head shot if you survive can do that. 

you cant build a weapon capable of that and just say OK WE WILL JUST NOT AIM IN THE EYES XDD

[Trixanity]

6 hours ago, Clanscorpia said:

The US has never technically violated the Geneva convention. China using a weapon that purposefully blinded people would get a very harsh reaction.

Well, if not signing or ratifying certain articles or fanciful interpretations of those that are isn't breaking it, then there's no reason to believe it has been violated. However realistically speaking the conventions have been broken time and time again.

 

I don't want to make it more political than it already is but two words: unlawful combatants.

[Amazonsucks]

If the Japanese made it, it would probably work well. Since its made in China itll probably fall apart before the first shot is fired.

 

Also this guy beat them to it in his garage.

 

 

[Quadriplegic]

4 hours ago, rcmaehl said:

 

NEAT, it made it to techlinked.

Riley being back is more fearsome than that laser rifle 

[JoostinOnline]

800M is not ~1KM.

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

Pretty cool to be honest, I'm all for funding this. I want my lightsabers!

[SammyG13]

7 hours ago, wojtepanik said:

you cant build a weapon capable of that and just say OK WE WILL JUST NOT AIM IN THE EYES XDD

im saying a normal gun can blind you so why does this matter?