When will the lightsaber be invented? Is it possible to make a real lightsaber? Making a sword with a child
“We’ll have to wait another two whole years. In order not to disappoint the audience, the filmmakers must fulfill at least two conditions: not turn the plot into nonsense and surprise with the effects. After all, she once made a technological breakthrough in cinema. Many innovations from " Star Wars"have already turned into old school. But one thing that still keeps sci-fi fans up at night is the lightsaber. Let's talk about its creation.
Everyone who watched Star Wars as a child dreamed of a lightsaber. It was impossible to make it from improvised means, unless you unscrew it at school fluorescent lamps. However, the actors who played the Jedi also saw the glowing blade only on the screen. Light carbon fiber poles were used during filming.
Initially, the sticks were made triangular and covered with a reflective substance. A motor was installed in the handle, which turned this entire structure. The sword seemed to sparkle, but a little differently than he dreamed about it. Therefore, the footage was given to animators, and they painted the blades frame by frame. One of the craftsmen noticed in time that if the sword is made of light, then the beam should tremble. This added more work: now for each shot he had to superimpose another overexposed one, on which there was nothing but a blade.
When they created it at the turn of the 90s and 2000s, swords were still painted, only not by hand, but on a computer. Instead of the animators, the actors now suffered: they were given heavy sticks made of aluminum and steel. Rumor has it that when filming for “”, the words “Dirty bastard” were written on the handle. We seem to even know why.
The artists' prayers (or Jackson's curses) were answered, and carbon blades coated with glass and plastic were used for the third episode. However, this was not the case. The new sticks did not break or bend for a long time, but they could cripple their user. Apparently, the actors accepted this modification; at least Samuel L. Jackson no longer wrote anything on the props. Although, maybe they just appeased him by making the light beam an exclusive pink color.
George Lucas gets furious if his lightsabers are copied, even though the director was not the first to have the idea of giving his heroes such a weapon. He spotted the idea in old science fiction TV series (the handle is said to have been stolen from the series "
George Lucas' famous Star Wars series featured many types of fantastic weapons, but perhaps most of all, audiences remember the lightsaber duels.
Alas, there is still nothing like this, although the idea itself is original in its own way: instead of a steel blade there is a striking beam, which also reflects laser attacks. Is a lightsaber possible in terms of modern physics?
One option is laser. But even against the backdrop of tremendous achievements in the field laser technologies we are very far from what we saw in the movies. The first problem is the formation of a beam of a fixed length. As you know, light spreads to the first obstacle. Let's assume it will be a mirror. The result will be something that bears little resemblance to a formidable weapon, with a fragile mirror at the end.
The second problem is the creation of the beam itself, capable of cutting various materials. The closest example is industrial welding lasers. For them to work successfully, several kilowatts of energy are required, which is created by a power supply of impressive size, incommensurate with the handle lightsaber. And the “laser” fight itself will be completely different from the one in the movies. The beams will pass through each other without any effect.
An alternative to laser is hot plasma produced using powerful electrical discharges in gas environment. In addition, various gases glow different colors, like in Star Wars. From the point of view of modern physics, it will look something like this.
To a small one, but powerful block The power supply, built into the handle, is connected to a thin long cable, through which an electric discharge and gas are simultaneously supplied. When the power is turned on, the gas around the filament turns into a hot plasma, capable of cutting any object as neatly as a blade.
At first glance, everything that has been said does not look convincing enough, but Galactic Empire was not created in one day.
They have been trying to create a lightsaber for decades. For now, all we have is a plastic toy that turns on with the right sound, glows in the dark and breaks after a couple of hits. But inventive thought does not stand still, and there are already working prototypes, and some things can even be ordered on the Internet.
The lightsaber idea has a few obvious flaws. For example, the fact that the beam of light cannot be stopped, so the sword will cut not only the ceiling above the Jedi’s head, but also the roof, planes and celestial bodies flying past. However, a laser pointer is the most obvious way to create a lightsaber, and some inventors have gone this route, leaving the problem of (infinite) beam length for later.
1. Pointer
The most dangerous so far laser pointer with a Jedi handle was created by enthusiast Anthony Drake. A guy in his early 20s runs a YouTube channel where he shows off his really crazy inventions. First of all, he is interested in lasers. So, inspired by the seventh film in the series, Drake presented his prototype sword.
Drake's device has a power of 7 W, while according to American law, lasers with a power of more than 0.005 watt are prohibited from being sold. So the guy makes them himself, for example, from parts of an ordinary computer. To create the sword, he used a Nichia GaN laser diode, “overclocking” it to 7 W. To focus the beam I used a coated lens. The device runs on two unprotected lithium-ion batteries connected in series.
With the help of such a sword you can cut electrical tape, burn paper cup, set fire to paper or wood, which is what Drake demonstrates in his videos. It must be said that the laser pointer is rather a step back for the inventor. A few months earlier, he had designed a 40-watt “laser shotgun.” At the same time, according to the video blogger, the US Navy is testing a prototype laser gun with a power of 10-30 thousand watts.
If Drake's laser sword apparently only exists in a single copy, then you can order a 2-watt laser pointer now. The Spyder III Arctic model, of course, cuts and burns paper more slowly, but its handle is so authentic that Lucasfilms even considered suing the manufacturer. And the pointer costs almost as much as an exact toy copy of a lightsaber.
2. Lighter
Another inventor and video blogger named Allen radically solved the problem of the infinite length of the light blade. Instead of concentrating a beam of light, he made the blade by igniting a stream of flammable mixture.
Such a sword does not cut, but only burns, but that makes it look no less cool. True, the blade turned out to be somewhat thinner than the usual Jedi blades, and to add authenticity to the invention, Allen screwed a miniature speaker onto it, which produces a characteristic sound when fuel is supplied. The flame is maintained with butane using methanol and acetone as fuel. Judging by the slightly frightened face of the inventor, the technology is not very stable yet, so we wish him good luck in further tests.
3. Razor
When it became known that Jay Jay Abrams was starting to work on another series franchise, a team of seasoned startupers decided to give the world a truly useful laser blade. As you know, the main problem of a good half of humanity in the 21st century is irritation after shaving. And in response to this challenge, they began to raise money on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to create a laser razor.
According to the authors of the project, $160 thousand was needed to develop the technology and create a working prototype. They promised that the laser razor would shave not only black, but also colorless hairs (for this, biologists discovered a special substance in the hair and adjusted the radiation to it). As a result, thanks to photoshop footage, confident speech and white coats, we managed to raise more than $4 million for the project.
All that the startupers were able to do in a few months from the start of the project was a new video with incomprehensible graphs and not so confident voices. Then Kickstarter froze fundraising, beginning the procedure of returning money to those who were not afraid of the theoretical possibility of cutting their cheek with a laser in the morning before work.
4. Table knife
The most stable blade, which does not require recharging or refueling and is practically eternal and, most importantly, certified by Lucas and Disney based on Star Wars, costs only a thousand rubles. And in the set, in addition to the sword, which cuts steak faster than current industrial lasers, you will also receive a fork and spoon. Everything with Jedi handles is natural. For complete set You can get sticks in the shape of Luke’s two swords for the same price.
Why is a lightsaber impossible?
Well, seriously, the possibility of creating a lightsaber is seriously complicated by several theoretical problems. Firstly, the already mentioned light. As user Sergei Bunevich notes on The Question website, “light, like other electromagnetic radiation, propagates in space rectilinearly with constant speed, which in a vacuum is approximately 300,000 km/s (the speed of light in matter may be less). In addition, in the absence of a medium that scatters light, the beam cannot be seen.<...>Thus, if we neglect the curvature of space-time, such a “blade of light” simply cannot look like a column of light of a certain length.”
Secondly, plasma. If we assume that a “light saber” is just a beautiful term and the sword has the same relation to light as a mortar has to mines (link to a post about mortars in LiveJournal), then most likely it should function as follows: a plasma arc is created , which stretches magnetic field and is held in a certain form. The same field should reflect blaster shots, which are probably also plasma clots.
A similar technology for working with plasma already exists. With its help, for example, they cut metal in factories. But the arc length in such installations does not exceed several centimeters. You can try to stretch the arc, but it will turn out to be extremely unstable and will constantly deviate to the sides, trying to “stick” to the nearest surface.
In addition, the plasma is “consumed” and cools down. "IN plasma cutting plasma is created by a powerful gas jet passing through electric arc. It will take a lot of plasma to cut metal like in the film,” notes Bunevich. Well last problem, which also cannot be solved without supernatural power - electricity required in huge quantities to maintain the operation of the cutter.
If all these problems can be solved, the appearance of a lightsaber is quite possible. You can read more about the scientifically correct way of its functioning in the book “Physics of the Impossible” by the famous popularizer of science Michio Kaku. He operates with several scientific instruments that do not exist in reality, but on the whole he is correct and understandable to the widest range of readers.
Real laser swords from Star Wars. The laser sword is a weapon of the warriors from the Star Wars saga. As Obi Wan said in the very first film: “A weapon more elegant than any blaster.”
The name laser sword does not quite correctly reveal the essence of this amazing design. It would be more correct to call it a “plasma sword”. Each Jedi always made his own laser sword, which served him faithfully throughout his Jedi life.
As a rule, it took a Jedi about a month to “forge” a laser sword. The creation of a laser sword consisted of two main parts: mechanically assembling the metal parts of the sword together using hands and tools. The second part is undoubtedly the most important and very labor-intensive; it is meditation in the process of increasing the concentration of power in the crystals. And yet, when the situation required it, it could take only two days to “forge” a laser sword.
Electronic sword, electric sword
The Jedi were taught to use the Force as a link between warrior and sword. Due to this connection, the weapon became a part of the fighter and a continuation of his essence. While wielding an electric sword, this harmony served as a source of super-fast, inhuman reaction and dexterity.
Buy a laser sword in our store and we promise full atmosphere Star Wars. You will be able to feel like a real warrior and a full-fledged part of that world.
A large number of boys and grown men around the world are fans of George Lucas' famous Star Wars saga. Who among them has not dreamed of becoming the owner of a real Jedi sword, flying through the labyrinths of the Death Star, or becoming a student of the wise Yoda? If last wishes It’s problematic to put into practice, but the first one can be dealt with in one evening. How to make a lightsaber with your own hands, read the article below.
Making Jedi weapons
In order to make your own lightsaber, you will need to purchase LEDs and an LED flashlight, plastic rods, resistors, aluminum foil, tape, glue, sandpaper and heat shrink tube.
Disassemble the flashlight and remove the board from it, removing the LED. Attach your own LED and resistor to the board. Place heat-shrink tubing on the resistor to keep it in place more tightly. How to make a real lightsaber? Of course you need a blade.
It is made from a transparent plastic rod of the required length (if necessary, cut off the excess). Attach the rod to the screwdriver, sharpening one end to do this. Adjust the other end to the diameter of the flashlight body using a file.
We continue to work on light weapons
Now you need to carefully process sandpaper the entire blade area. This is done so that the light falling on the sword is scattered evenly.
Then coat the end plastic tube glue and insert into the flashlight body. True fans don't stop there. How to make a lightsaber look realistic? Add decorations to the body. To do this, take aluminum and copper foil or tape. Cover the handle body. Now the weapon looks more like a formidable intergalactic sword.
Both children and adult Star Wars fans will be delighted with this gift.
How to make Obi-Wan's lightsaber
An episode of the famous saga called " New Hope", where Obi-Wan fights Darth Vader with lightsabers, inspires awe in many fans. Such a sword can be built at home, however, it will require more skill than for the weapons described above. But this does not stop men.
How to make Obi-Wan's lightsaber? Take a piece aluminum pipe and place it on a thin oblong lamp. Don't forget to connect the emitter. This way the sword will truly burn. It is better to integrate the controller into the handle; the batteries are placed inside a hollow tube. Attach a metal cylinder to the emitter; the sleeve will strengthen the action of the emitter. The work is painstaking, all the wires must fit exactly into place.
Some craftsmen manage to create a sword from a nickel furniture leg and a polycarbonate tube. How to make a lightsaber from these items? Insert the colored diode into the holder for three batteries, place it in a metal handle (not forgetting the resistor). Secure the handle and sword together with electrical tape.
All that remains is to decorate the craft as desired.
How to make a lightsaber at home?
The imagination of fans of the space saga never stops; they come up with many options for making light weapons. The sword can be created from cold neon. It is an electroluminescent cord that gives a mesmerizingly bright glow. Connect neon and thin steel cord. Then connect the cord to an inverter that runs on batteries. All that remains is to attach the resulting weapon to the handle. Use the body from an old flashlight instead - this is the most popular option. As you strengthen your skills, you can create a double-edged Jedi sword.
Making a sword with a child
If a little fan of the saga lives in the house, sooner or later he will ask for a lightsaber, because playing with it is so exciting. Don’t rush to upset your child; together with him you can come up with easy option from scrap materials. For this you need a flashlight.
How to make a lightsaber out of paper? Find a lantern with a white lamp. It must shine brightly, otherwise the game will be less interesting. If your flashlight becomes dim, change the batteries or purchase a new light.
What color sword would you like to create? Find polyethylene in the shade you need. Cut a piece that will completely cover the front of the lantern and attach. Then take several sheets of white A4 paper. Wrap the first sheet around the top of the lantern, securing it inside with double-sided tape. If you see that the edges of the paper overlap one another, trim them. This way the light will be distributed evenly.
Roll the second sheet. Secure it onto the first sheet of paper, trying to go as little as possible onto it. Make the sword further by attaching paper rolls one on top of the other. You should not create a very long blade, otherwise it will bend under its own weight. Turn on the flashlight and enjoy
If you don't have time to create a sword
If you don’t have extra time, perseverance or materials, but still want to please yourself or your loved one with an interesting gift, you can order a real laser sword. The Americans have come up with a wonderful sword, the heart of which is a real laser. A weak red sword costs about 1800 rubles, and a powerful green one costs 4800. It has a comfortable handle, stunning design and a built-in pressure sensor. The weight of such a weapon is about one kilogram.
You can make a Jedi sword yourself different ways. Some require nothing more than a flashlight and simple paper, others will require many skills from you (knowledge in the field of electricity, soldering, and so on). Every fan of a star film can independently choose the option that is suitable for him.