I can't wait till I get one of these things. I'm sure once the cool factor wears off it'll be stuck in a drawer but until then....
Behold the Wicked Laser Spyder III Arctic – in the flesh, but certainly not burning flesh anytime soon (because we’re careful little tech nerds, and know a dangerous device when we see it). If you’ve been following the gadget blogs for the last month, you already know that this laser’s infamous reputation precedes any opinions generated from third-party, hands-on testing.
Indeed, we’re one of the first impartial third-parties to actually receive the device. This Friday, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be testing the Arctic at its full-strength setting in one of the laser labs of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories. This laser is not a toy. It’s a potentially dangerous piece of technology, and we want proper training in how to safely use it. After that visit to LBL, we’ll post first impressions, plus more photos and even video. Our full print write-up on the laser will appear in our first issue of Maximum Tech. But for now, let’s share some basic details on what makes the Arctic so remarkable.
Wicked Laser tells us the Arctic is rated to produce no less than 800 milliwatts of power, and as much as one full watt. This is an incredibly powerful laser – just consider that typical laser “pointers” may produce around 3 milliwatts. The Arctic sells for $299, a fantastically low price that’s only possible because the cost of laser diodes has plummeted. A laser of the Arctic’s caliber would have cost thousands of dollars just a year ago.
Very simple, clean packaging. Note the spot-varnish laser symbol in the corner.
At its output strength, the Arctic is a Class-4 laser -- a serious, scientific-caliber laser device. To quote the Wikipedia entry on Class-4 devices, “By definition, a class-4 laser can burn the skin, in addition to potentially devastating and permanent eye damage as a result of direct or diffuse beam viewing. These lasers may ignite combustible materials, and thus may represent a fire risk. Class-4 lasers must be equipped with a key switch and a safety interlock.”
I hope our studio photography can capture the Arctic looking as cool as how it’s portrayed on the user manual cover.
But the Arctic isn’t just any Class 4 laser. It’s a Class 4 blue laser emitting 445nm light, and blue lasers have unique properties that pose extra safety risks. Specifically, were the blue laser beam to shine directly in your eye, your vision would be permanently impaired. In a worst-case scenario, you’d go permanently blind. In a best-case scenario, you’d lose the ability to perceive green light. Wicked Laser is aware of these risks, and explains them in detail on its website.
Besides publishing a wealth of information about the potential dangers posed by the Arctic on its website, Wicked Laser has also integrated a number of safety systems into the device. First, the laser must be unlocked via a software code just to be powered on. This should stymie anyone who steals the laser, as well as children who might stumble upon it in a parent’s drawer. Second, once unlocked, the laser has two power modes, and, according to Wicked Lasers, the default mode sets laser power to just 10 percent of the Arctic’s actual output capacity. Third, the Arctic kit comes with a “training” lens that’s designed to reduce the laser beam power by 80 percent -- and this reduction applies to both the low-power mode and full-strength mode. And, fourth, the Arctic includes the safety interlock required of Class-4 devices. When the interlock is removed, the laser can't operate.
And if you have to ask “What’s the big deal about a 800 milliwatt laser?” then you don’t just get what makes lasers so impossibly cool. What we knew as pure science fiction as children has become demonstrably real. Just make no mistake: The Arctic is neither a toy nor a “laser pointer” nor anything to be taken lightly. It represents the forward march of technology, and possibly even technology moving at too brisk a pace. We’ll have opinions on that soon.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-SduY4A2kE&feature=related]YouTube - Wicked Lasers S3 Arctic Spyder III[/ame]
Behold the Wicked Laser Spyder III Arctic – in the flesh, but certainly not burning flesh anytime soon (because we’re careful little tech nerds, and know a dangerous device when we see it). If you’ve been following the gadget blogs for the last month, you already know that this laser’s infamous reputation precedes any opinions generated from third-party, hands-on testing.
Indeed, we’re one of the first impartial third-parties to actually receive the device.
Wicked Laser tells us the Arctic is rated to produce no less than 800 milliwatts of power, and as much as one full watt. This is an incredibly powerful laser – just consider that typical laser “pointers” may produce around 3 milliwatts. The Arctic sells for $299, a fantastically low price that’s only possible because the cost of laser diodes has plummeted. A laser of the Arctic’s caliber would have cost thousands of dollars just a year ago.
At its output strength, the Arctic is a Class-4 laser -- a serious, scientific-caliber laser device. To quote the Wikipedia entry on Class-4 devices, “By definition, a class-4 laser can burn the skin, in addition to potentially devastating and permanent eye damage as a result of direct or diffuse beam viewing. These lasers may ignite combustible materials, and thus may represent a fire risk. Class-4 lasers must be equipped with a key switch and a safety interlock.”
But the Arctic isn’t just any Class 4 laser. It’s a Class 4 blue laser emitting 445nm light, and blue lasers have unique properties that pose extra safety risks. Specifically, were the blue laser beam to shine directly in your eye, your vision would be permanently impaired. In a worst-case scenario, you’d go permanently blind. In a best-case scenario, you’d lose the ability to perceive green light. Wicked Laser is aware of these risks, and explains them in detail on its website.
Besides publishing a wealth of information about the potential dangers posed by the Arctic on its website, Wicked Laser has also integrated a number of safety systems into the device. First, the laser must be unlocked via a software code just to be powered on. This should stymie anyone who steals the laser, as well as children who might stumble upon it in a parent’s drawer. Second, once unlocked, the laser has two power modes, and, according to Wicked Lasers, the default mode sets laser power to just 10 percent of the Arctic’s actual output capacity. Third, the Arctic kit comes with a “training” lens that’s designed to reduce the laser beam power by 80 percent -- and this reduction applies to both the low-power mode and full-strength mode. And, fourth, the Arctic includes the safety interlock required of Class-4 devices. When the interlock is removed, the laser can't operate.
Sure, it’s lines are very light sabrey, but real light sabres aren’t all black, are they?
All in all, the Arctic is an amazing piece of technology, and we’ll be covering it fully on this site, as well as in the pages of Maximum Tech, which will be on newsstands in early September.And if you have to ask “What’s the big deal about a 800 milliwatt laser?” then you don’t just get what makes lasers so impossibly cool. What we knew as pure science fiction as children has become demonstrably real. Just make no mistake: The Arctic is neither a toy nor a “laser pointer” nor anything to be taken lightly. It represents the forward march of technology, and possibly even technology moving at too brisk a pace. We’ll have opinions on that soon.
Wicked Lasers was kind enough to send four sets of safety goggles, enough for our testing and photography. Caution: NEVER use a laser of the Arctic’s power without the proper safety goggles. Goggle lenses are tuned to specific laser wavelengths, and lenses made for green lasers won’t provide enough safety for blue laser light.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-SduY4A2kE&feature=related]YouTube - Wicked Lasers S3 Arctic Spyder III[/ame]
nobody?
