Could a light saber be possible to make?

[Coller]

Even if it was possible to make it the way NMH does, the stopping point is held up by a thin piece of metal, that means in actual combat, the chances of it breaking of, especially if fighting against a nother light saber, would be pretty darn high. I.E. Imho it's possible, but very, very unpractical. As others said, the only efective application for such technology would be as a cutting tool for work, not combat.

 

[Bad Jim]

Maybe it is a laser beam, but there is a camera or two in the hilt that detects whether something is in the 4 foot beam and a thinner, targetable laser vapourises it. The continuous visible beam is just a hologram to show the user where the danger zone is.

 

[Hellkite_Overload]

Read my post on pg 1 (if you haven't already) It roughly explains everything you just mentioned

OK I read most of your post but it still doesnt hold up. Lets just look at the "cylindrical magnetic field" and the problems with creating that and the properties it would have once created. nevermind the other nonsense.

1) there is no way to project a straight magnetic field (magnetic field lines curve, period) and even if there is a way there is then no way to make that "cap off" at the end.

2) its a magnetic field. you would find your sword flying out of your hand toward the nearest large piece of metal.

3) you would not be able to fence as magnets repel, they don't create an invisible solid edge. Just get two magnets and play around with them, you'll find its difficult to get same poles close to each other and opposite pole attract and clamp together.

4) there is no way to create a cylindrical magnetic field. i.e. with the same pole presented in each direction... a fundamental property of magnetic fields is that a north pole is always matched with a south pole in the opposite direction... if this wasn't the case then several important laws of physics would be broken and you could create perpetual motion machines and other nonsense.

Ok, now these are some quite valid points! To begin, I never said that the design required a field that could "cap off" I actually stated that that IS impossible (that's why the plasma idea doesn't work, and why lightsabers CAN'T be made with plasma) and as for the rest, well yeah, the idea of "EM fields" don't work for those reasons, as you stated. My intention was to give more of a rough idea as to how a genuine lightsaber could plausibly function, not lay out blueprints for it's construction. Obviously EM fields don't work for this idea, but who's to say that there will never be found a way to produce a containment field of some kind, that could act as I described. This whole discussion is basically theoretical technology at this point, so nothing within reason can be discounted wholely.

 

[Noceus]

The theoritical scientist Michio Kaku had a great theory on how one could actually be made, it would instead of ligh or lasers use super heated plasma.

 

[mariofan1000]

They actually did it.

 

[jake557]

If you have a material at the end strong enough to limit the beam's length, why not just make a sword out of that instead?

 

[Aprilgold]

Its possible, but, again, it would take time to work it as a SWORD, a gun though could work. I think a solar running one would work very well.

 

[Dr Jones]

I present to you... MICHIO KAKU!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSNubaa7n9o

Its very interesting tbh..

 

[k-ossuburb]

With technology now? No, I don't think so, with future technology, maybe, but on the downside of that wouldn't it be better to just put it into some kind of gun instead? I mean, what's the practical purpose of limiting the laser's range when you could be using it to kill targets for practically an infinite distance? It'll be like a sniper rifle that you don't have to account for wind, bullet trajectory or even the range. Surely that's a much better option, right?

 

[UnknownGunslinger]

I think it's more plausible for there to be a laser baton that inflicts heavy burns on contact. More inclined to inflict pain than to kill.

Like this:
<youtube=9hopeKU_Khs>
Cause i'm all for such technology, i think it's hillarious

 

[mcattack92]

A light saber could be seen as a "Heat Sword". The sword would need a form of heating device that could heat the "Light" part of it up to extremely high tempreture. The handle part would need to be sheilded to allow the weilder to hold it without being burnt.

 

[Macgyvercas]

I would think it is impossible. A laser is only visible at the point where it hits something. If you use a laser pen now and point at the wall. Only the dot on the wall is visible. There are in fact lasers with the strength to at least do damage on a target. We have a laser like that to use on a confocal microscope in biology. The laser is placed in a different room than the microscope because the heat form it is so strong that being in that room is bad for you. The room right next to it was also pretty hot because they were connected.
Holding a lightsaber would probably burn your fingers and it would weigh a ton. There would be no beam, it would just be a burning dot and it would have to have a stop point.

However, in theory it is possible. There are plenty of explanation why and how in this thread. However they also say how impractical those ideas are for various reasons. I honestly think it can't be done.

From the Star Wars Wiki

The weapon consisted of a blade of pure plasma emitted from the hilt and suspended in a force containment field. The field contained the immense heat of the plasma, protecting the wielder, and allowed the blade to keep its shape. The hilt was almost always self-fabricated by the wielder to match his or her specific needs, preferences and style. Due to the weightlessness of plasma and the strong gyroscopic effect generated by it, lightsabers required a great deal of strength and dexterity to wield, and it was extremely difficult?and dangerous?for the untrained to attempt using.

So, lightsaber blades are plasma, not lasers.

Until we can come up with a power source and a way to make an energy containment field, lightsabers are an impossibility, awesome as they may be.

 

[IceStar100]

Just seems like even if you could build it. After the cost and limited range it would be nothing but a nitch weapon for collecters. As a real weapon it most likly would get you killed.

The whole bring a knife to a gun fight.

 

[RicoGrey]

Well, there is always the "nano-sword" a la Deus Ex. The sword would be sharp right down to a single atom, and could be made very very hot, or very very cold. Also, probably lightweight and very very very very compact. Could change shape too, and well, probably be made into a gun. Hell, you probably would not call it a nano sword, just nano weapon. Possibly nano-multipurpose-weapon/tool/penis enlarger/cancer curing/etc.

A combination of nano and laser themed weapon/tool would be the way to go.

Then again, why not just have a nano bot that can fling it self at high speeds at the person, and if that doesnt kill them, then it can disolve, enter their body and destroy from within.

Yes, yes, nanos are the way to go, forget everything else, at least for now. At least until we make something that is pure energy, nanites are the way to go for weapons/tools/everything.

I fear the future.

 

[rancher of monsters]

I think it's more plausible for there to be a laser baton that inflicts heavy burns on contact. More inclined to inflict pain than to kill.

so in other words the stun club from the ape escape series

I'm not even going to lie, if anyone ever made a Stun baton that looked like that one the first thing I would do is go to the zoo and beat the crap out of some monkeys. I'd be arrested, but I bet the Ape Escape community would cover my bail.

OT: I think its within humanity's power to create a light saber but not for actual combat, and not for a very long time. It will most likely be the product of some future nerd, making a weapon from a story told a long time ago, possibly even in a galaxy far, far away.

 

[zuro64]

Two issues one being able to create a strong enough laser to cut through anything like you said. And the power supply. Battery tech has come a ways but the energy needed would be immense. The tech for the batteries are at minimal 400 years away. And it's impractical as a weapon as a bullet moving at x speed with it's size is not visible to the human eye so good luck getting a half inch or so beam in front of that to disintegrate it.

The tech though is practical for a cutting tool.

The main problem with laser is that you cant restrict how fart the beam would be. Beacuase light never stops unless something is in the way to absorb or deflect it!
So a light saber in the matter that its cutting ability i powered by light is impossible with the knowledge and techs we have now or for the near future, but there has been successfull tests of a plasma cutter wich "blade" basically has the same look and abilities as a light saber. The problem right now is (as mentioned above) it takes extreme amounts of energy to sustain it and it is only in the laboratory stage at the moment!

Still, its one step in the right direction

 

[Vykrel]

not sure... if at all possible though, i dont believe it would be possible to make a light saber similar to Star Wars. you cant just stop light, it has to keep going until it either hits something or fades. the picture you posted is a pretty good representation of what im talking about. i suppose they were thinking the same thing.

 

[CarlMin]

Turns out we've had more powerful tools than light-sabers in like 30 years but nobody gave a shit because hey, they aren't used to cut people's hands off.

Ever heard of industrial lasers? Water jet cutters? Those things are way more powerful than any lightsaber George Lucas could come up with. And they've been around for quite some time.

Trust me, if there was any practical use to a laser sword it would already exist in the military. But there isn't. Why? Because any gun produced during the latest 100 years are superior in virtually any imaginable way.

 

[ascorbius]

Well the logistic problem is the blade. the exact design of a light saber is basically implausible. Either you have a blade thats so weak that it does no damage, or you get a blade that extends well practically infinitely.

However, there is one possibility I can think of that might be able to somewhat emulate the effect. Much like the NMH designs where there is a stopping point at the end of the blade, you need something that would act as an obstruction to light. Now if you were to take a high power laser, then at the tip of the blade area position a series of mirrors that reflected the blade back around to the hilt, to which the hilt also contained a series of mirrors that redirected the beam back up to the tip (contining infinitely) you could have a beam with enough intensity to cut like a laser, but look sort of like a light saber.

That or, you know have an extremely high powered but small blow torch with a refinement valve. Though your fuel source would make it pointlessly limiting.

Yeah that kind of tech can only exist a long time ago, in a galaxy far away.

Edit: Just think of the catastrophe if that were to be created and someone jostled the tip mirror array out of alignment. the whole world would bleed.

I was just about to say the same thing.
It's all well and good having a post with a mirror to reflect the beam back onto another mirror to reflect back to the mirror at the tip, but you'd better hope that the post is made from something that won't bend or, as you rightly said, that the mirror at the top doesn't bend.

This would result in a very powerful beam coming back at you at a very dangerous angle; killing you and anyone in the way.

Duelling with light sabres designed in this way would be suicide. they wouldn't bounce off each other, they'd cut through each other's posts. Unless there was some sort of shielding on the post.

I'd prefer a good blaster by my side any day.