1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius, the production of iHeartRadio Guess 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: what We'll what's that Mango? So earlier this year, the 3 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: mayor of Austin, Texas used a laser beam to send 4 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: a recipe for Keeso to the moon. 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 2: That's impressive, but I have to asked why exactly did 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 2: he do this? 7 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: Well, according to his press release, this is what he said, quote, 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: we choose to send Keeso to the moon and maybe 9 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: someday chips as well, not because these things are easy, 10 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: but because they are hard. So maybe that's the answer. 11 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: But I think the real reason, and this is serious, 12 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: was to teach future aliens how to make Keeso in 13 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: case they ever stop off at our moon, which is 14 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: a serious bit of intergalactic hospitality. 15 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 2: I think, wait, you're saying it's just the recipe, like 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 2: the aliens will have to supply their own chips and cheese. 17 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,319 Speaker 1: I guess it's less hospitable when you put it that way. 18 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: But still the mayor's heart, I think was in the 19 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: right place. His name is Steve Adler, by the way, 20 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 1: and the recipe he chose is a local favorite in Austin, 21 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: and it was sent to the Moon as part of 22 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: a lunar Library that was stowed aboard a SpaceX rocket, 23 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: the Falcon nine. 24 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: Oh like they Okay, I was confused on how you 25 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: were saying they had sent it. I was actually hoping 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: they kind of like carve the case a recipe into 27 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,559 Speaker 2: the moon, like with a laser or something. But yeah, 28 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 2: I guess sending it on a rocket is that's a 29 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 2: little bit more practical, I guess, yeah, and a little 30 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 2: less like cartoon super villain. I guess that's true. All right, Well, 31 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 2: then how does the laser fit into this? 32 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: So the laser is actually what made the whole library possible, 33 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: because they didn't just send a one page caso recipe 34 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: to the moon. The lunar library also included some other 35 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: quote unquote light reading. 36 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 2: Do you get it? I get I get it? 37 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, And it includes the entirety of Wikipedia in English, 38 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: tens of thousands of books, and a key to translate 39 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: everything into five thousand different languages. So sending a hard 40 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: copy of all those things clearly wasn't an option, and 41 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: instead the mission crew used a powerful laser to etch 42 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: the entire library, letter by letter, into this super light 43 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: radiation proof nickel disc, and just in case, the aliens 44 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: who find it have bad eye sight. All the information 45 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: on the disc was also laser and coded digitally, so 46 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: the aliens can put it up on their view screens 47 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: or whatever they have. 48 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,239 Speaker 2: All Right, so all of this, like the laser etch 49 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 2: Casa recipe, all of Wikipedia, this is all actually on 50 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 2: the moon. Now, Yeah, I mean there's a bit of 51 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 2: a twist. 52 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: The moon lander that was carrying the library crash landed 53 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: on the Moon, and this was on April eleventh, So 54 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: the mission wasn't exactly a success. But the good news 55 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: is the library probably did survive. According to a spokesperson 56 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: for the Foundation, small light objects like our library do 57 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: better in impact. It was probably thrown a few kilometers 58 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: away a thirty million page frisbee on the Moon. 59 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 2: I like to think about certain first, Like, if you 60 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 2: think about it, this was the first frisbee with a 61 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 2: Caso recipe on it ever thrown on the Moon. I 62 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 2: mean that's pretty cool. 63 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, And it was all made possible by lasers, which 64 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: kind of sums up our show today. When you think 65 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,399 Speaker 1: of lasers, it's mostly like death rays from sci fi 66 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: movies and whatever. But as the Lunar Library shows, the 67 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: truth is that real world, lasers have much more interesting 68 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:12,519 Speaker 1: applications than just blowing things up, from levitating objects to 69 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: precision cooking bacon. There are lots of weird things you 70 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: can do with a laser beam, and we're going to 71 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: take a whole look at a bunch of them. 72 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: Let's dive in. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to Part 73 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 2: Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm joined 74 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 2: by my good friend mangesh Hot Ticketer And on the 75 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 2: other side of the soundproof glass, carrying on the show's 76 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 2: proud tradition of thematic prop comedy. That's our friend and 77 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 2: producer Loll. Just look at that mango. He brought in 78 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 2: his own laser pointer from home, waving it around, pointing 79 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 2: to all these different objects. I mean, it's not a 80 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 2: useful tool in his line of work, but he's made 81 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 2: the effort anyway. I mean, it's always putting in the effort. Yeah, 82 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 2: I mean, it's that kind of spirit that we really 83 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 2: appreciate it around here. Absolutely. 84 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: And laser pointers are actually a good place to start 85 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: because they really aren't much different from the lasers we 86 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: use in research or defense. In either case, you're dealing 87 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,280 Speaker 1: with the device that works by amplifying a highly concentrated 88 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: beam of light aka laser beam. So the main difference 89 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 1: between these devices is their power level. Right, The maximum 90 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: allowance for a laser pointer in the US is a 91 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: measly five milliwats, but other kinds of handheld lasers can 92 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: rage anywhere from twenty five miliwats all the way up 93 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: to a thousand. 94 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 2: And that's what would have been used to edge the 95 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 2: case or recipe into that disk, right. 96 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, which is also why they're used for laser 97 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: removals and certain kinds of surgery. And those procedures aren't 98 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: just for humans either. For instance, I read that some 99 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 1: aquariums have started using a seven hundred miliwat laser to 100 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: remove harmful polyps from their coral Apparently the laser can 101 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: burn a polyp away that it won't ever grow back, 102 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: and the whole process only takes about ten seconds. 103 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 2: I mean, it does make you question at least a 104 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 2: little bit how safe these laser pointers are really. I mean, 105 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 2: I know they're weak, but if you think about sort 106 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 2: of like their larger cousins and destroying pole ups whole 107 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 2: cloth and a matter of seconds, like the five miliwat versions, 108 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 2: must do some small scale damage on their own, I 109 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 2: would think, right. 110 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, And that's actually why you're never supposed to look 111 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: directly into the beam of a laser pointer, because if 112 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: you're to do that, which again you shouldn't, what happens 113 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: is that a small portion of your retina will be 114 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,840 Speaker 1: bombarded by like this highly focused light. And when that happens, 115 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: the optical nerves get overloaded and you wind up seeing 116 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: all these little floating spots. 117 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 2: So it really is frying your retina, just not as 118 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 2: quickly or decisively as like one of the stronger lasers. Right. 119 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,239 Speaker 1: And so when we talk about modern lasers used for defense, 120 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: it's that ability to temporarily blind and really disorient people 121 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: that's in play. It's not like blasting through armor or 122 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: blowing apart buildings. For example. In law enforcement, there's something 123 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: called a data laser, and it's used for riot control. 124 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: It's basically like a larger version of a laser pointer. 125 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: It's about the size of a flashlight, but it's got 126 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: a two hundred and fifty miliwat beam and it's effective 127 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: from about thirty yards away, So if someone looks into 128 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: the beam, they can lose sight for up to fifteen 129 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 1: minutes and feel nauseous for even longer. So the idea 130 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: is really to incapacitate a rowdy crowd all at once, 131 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: and there's no need for physical contact, I guess. 132 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 2: I mean, I could see how that'd be useful in 133 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 2: some like really drastic circumstances, but it still feels pretty 134 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 2: extreme to use these on civilians. But you know, there's 135 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 2: one application where it seems a little more appropriate, and 136 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 2: that's when ships use these dasers to ward off pirates. 137 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 2: Have you heard about this, I haven't. 138 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 1: No. 139 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 2: It's called sea lays, and the stock version is a 140 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 2: whopping five thousand miliwats, twenty times stronger than the flashlight 141 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 2: that you mentioned. But if you want it beefed up, 142 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 2: you can actually get one all the way up to 143 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,719 Speaker 2: twenty thousand miliwads. So the base model alone, though, is 144 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 2: strong enough to be seen from nearly three miles away. 145 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 2: So the idea is that at a distance you could 146 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 2: signal the pirates not to come any closer, like a 147 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 2: warning shot, basically, than if they continue to approach anyway, 148 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 2: the daser's real effects would start to kick in, the 149 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 2: pirates would find themselves nauseous, disoriented, and of course temporarily blind, 150 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 2: which just doesn't seem pleasant. 151 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's like consumer grade tech, Like anyone on 152 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: the streets can buy the stuff. 153 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 2: Well, they go for about one hundred thousand dollars a pop, 154 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 2: so maybe not anybody off the street, but anybody with 155 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 2: one hundred thousand dollars in their pocket. They are available 156 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 2: for civilians. 157 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: Yeah. 158 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 2: Of course, the military has their own brand of daser lasers, 159 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 2: and these go back as far as the early sixties, 160 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 2: when the first real laser was invented. They are early 161 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 2: reports of a so called eye popper developed by the 162 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 2: Air Force. So, according to this nineteen seventy two edition 163 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 2: of the Post, quote the strangest of weapons was dreamed 164 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 2: up in the early sixties as a means of exploding 165 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 2: the eyes of enemy soldiers and their officers from distances 166 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 2: of more than a giant pulse lasers would sweep back 167 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 2: and forth across a battlefield, blinding anyone who looked directly 168 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 2: at it. That's sort of terrifying. Well was it ever 169 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 2: used in combat? Thankfully not. I mean, the military eventually 170 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 2: decided that exploding the enemy's eyes from a mile away 171 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 2: might not be the most honorable form of engagement, And 172 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 2: in nineteen ninety five, an update to the Geneva Conventions 173 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,679 Speaker 2: actually ban the use of any laser weapons that cause 174 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 2: permanent blindness, So this idea was actually put to rest. 175 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: So weird that there are like rules to wars. Really 176 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 1: like that, But why don't we move towards some of 177 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: the more wholesome ways to use a laser beam? For instance, 178 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: did you know that judges have started using lasers to 179 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: help score gymnastics competitions. 180 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 2: Now I had not heard this, and I'm curious why 181 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 2: this is necessary, Like what was wrong with the old 182 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 2: way of scoring competitions. 183 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,440 Speaker 1: So the main problem is that humans can sometimes miss 184 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 1: important details when deciding the outcome of a sporting event. 185 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: And that's true even with instant replays. In fact, there 186 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: was a study on gymnastics competitions, and this was back 187 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: in twoenty fifteen, and it concluded that up to sixty 188 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,079 Speaker 1: percent of athlete errors go totally overlooked by judges. 189 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 2: And so the solution to that is to shoot a 190 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 2: bunch of lasers at the gymnast. I guess, well sort of. 191 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: I mean, there's this Japanese electronics company, it's called Fujitsu, 192 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: and it's been working to develop three D laser sensors 193 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: that can capture a gymnast's movements and analyze them on 194 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,960 Speaker 1: the spot as I guess numerical data. So the idea 195 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 1: is to use these recordings as a supplement to the 196 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 1: judge's own observations, and if there's an error they didn't cash, 197 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 1: the system will draw their attention to it. And if 198 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 1: a judge ever needs evidence to back up or ruling, 199 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: the system can provide that too. 200 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 2: I see. So then it's kind of like the motion 201 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 2: capture that's used in the digital characters for movies like 202 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:44,199 Speaker 2: Gollam and Lord of the Rings. Is it kind of 203 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 2: like that? 204 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: Yeah? I mean, except in this case, the gymnast doesn't 205 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: have to do backflips while wearing like a suit covered 206 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 1: in those pingpong balls. Instead, there's a series of lasers 207 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: that track their movements in real time and then transmit 208 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: the data to a software program, and that way there's 209 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: a detailed record of every movie the athlete makes, no 210 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: matter how fast or complex it is. And this includes 211 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 1: everything from like the placement of their joints to the 212 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: exact angles of their movements. 213 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:09,559 Speaker 2: It sounds pretty amazing actually, and you said, this is 214 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:11,599 Speaker 2: already being used in competitions. 215 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,559 Speaker 1: Fujitsu announced a deal last fall with the International Gymnastics 216 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 1: Federation and they've already tested the system at a handful 217 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: of competitions this year, and the goals really to roll 218 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,719 Speaker 1: it out in earnest at the Gymnastics World Championships in 219 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: late September. But beyond that, Fujitsu is hoping the laser 220 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: system will become the go to tool for judges, not 221 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: just for gymnastics, but also for things like figure skating 222 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,319 Speaker 1: or any other sport where they're like scoring inconsistencies and 223 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: involves decisions about precise movements. 224 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 2: That's pretty cool, But I actually want to take us 225 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 2: back to laser pointers for a second, because there's a 226 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 2: practical use for them that I never would have thought 227 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 2: about before. We were doing our research this week, and 228 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 2: apparently home care nurses sometimes use common laser pointers as 229 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 2: a way to enable their patients to communicate. So, say 230 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 2: a patient has limited mobility as well as difficulties speaking. 231 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 2: In a case like that, a nurse might attach a 232 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 2: laser pointer to a pair of eyeglasses or maybe the 233 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 2: rim of a hat, and then the nurse would set 234 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 2: up this communication board filled with common phrases plus all 235 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 2: the letters of the alphabet, and you know, and the 236 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 2: patient could express themselves by pointing to whatever it was 237 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 2: they wanted to say. That's funny. 238 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:20,319 Speaker 1: It's like the simplest use of a pointer, but it's 239 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: also to communicate in such a specific way. It's so 240 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,559 Speaker 1: much more clever than you know, just using it to 241 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 1: get a cat to run around a room. Speaking of which, 242 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 1: I know, we both found some scientific uses for lasers 243 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 1: that were equally unexpected. But before we get into those, 244 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. 245 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 2: And you're listening to part time Genius, So we're talking 246 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 2: about all the surprising things you can do with a laser. 247 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 2: So just keep in mind that even though you theoretically 248 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 2: could do these things, you probably shouldn't do all or 249 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,319 Speaker 2: actually any of them. As in point, you could use 250 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 2: a high powered laser to heat a material to well 251 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 2: over a million degrees, the atoms of that substance would 252 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 2: cease to exist, and you'd be left with a soupy 253 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 2: mix of electrons and ions, what scientists lovingly referred to 254 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 2: as plasma. But again, that doesn't mean you should do that, 255 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 2: So don't do that, Nigo, Yeah, I mean, you definitely 256 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 2: shouldn't do that. Recreating the core of the sun in 257 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 2: your living room is not recommended by the show. Well 258 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 2: that's a good call on a less dangerous, but just 259 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 2: as difficult side of things. It's also possible to use 260 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,760 Speaker 2: a laser to levitate tiny objects. 261 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:38,560 Speaker 1: So this is something I'm fascinated by, but it makes 262 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:41,559 Speaker 1: zero sense to my mind. I mean, lasers burn and 263 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,840 Speaker 1: melt and singe, so how could that possibly transfer into 264 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: making something flow in mid air? 265 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 2: I agree, I mean it's not very intuitive for laymen 266 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 2: like ourselves, but it helps to remember that light, including 267 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 2: laser light, is made up of photons, and those photons 268 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,200 Speaker 2: exert a special kind of force known as radiation pressure. Sure, 269 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:04,599 Speaker 2: and that's really the key to what scientists call optical levitation. 270 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 2: So when you have a really powerful beam of light, 271 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 2: the radiation pressure it exerts is sometimes strong enough to 272 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 2: overcome the force of gravity. So if you aim a 273 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 2: high enough power laser beam at a super light object, 274 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,600 Speaker 2: the force of the light's pressure can actually propel it 275 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 2: forward or even lift it off the ground, which makes 276 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,439 Speaker 2: a little more sense to me. I guess. So are 277 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 2: like solar sales an example of this technology. Yeah, that's 278 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:32,720 Speaker 2: it exactly. I mean most people have probably seen one. 279 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 2: They're like big gold colored square sheets attached to the 280 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 2: end of a space probe or another small spacecraft, and 281 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 2: the reflective surface harnesses radiation pressure from sunlight, and that 282 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,040 Speaker 2: in turn propels the craft through space. 283 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 1: But you're saying it's possible to float something with a 284 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 1: laser here on Earth as well. 285 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:54,079 Speaker 2: I mean theoretically, yes, the principle behind it has been 286 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 2: proven in a lab setting, but a real world test 287 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 2: is still years away. And if that works, researchers would 288 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 2: be able to push around tiny particles that are too 289 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 2: small to control through other means. And even cooler than that, 290 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 2: they'd be able to power real life micro machines, by 291 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:13,959 Speaker 2: which I don't mean the tiny monster trucks that used 292 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 2: to be popular when you were kids, even though those 293 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 2: are just as awesome as levitating things, but rather things 294 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 2: like flying a teeny tiny camera over a volcano or 295 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 2: through the wreckage of a building or something like that. 296 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 2: That's pretty cool. 297 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: Well, since you brought up radiation pressure, I do have 298 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: to tell you about this other weird application Gabe told 299 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: me about. Basically, you can use two focused laser beams 300 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: to create what's known as optical tweezers, and this allows 301 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: scientists to manipulate objects smaller than a single micron, like 302 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 1: a unit of measure that's equal to about thirty nine 303 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: millions of an inch, or in other word, it's really 304 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: really small. 305 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 2: And so this works because of radiation pressure from the lasers. 306 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, so when you have a laser beam on either 307 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 1: side of the object, the resulting forces actually work together 308 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: and allow you to grip the object. So you can 309 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: kind of think of it like laser beam chops. 310 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 2: That's cool. So is this something that was just recently 311 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 2: discovered or what When Gabe brought up I thought so too. 312 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 2: But researchers first created optical tweezers back in the nineteen 313 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 2: eighties and they've been improving on the concept ever since. 314 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 2: In fact, the biggest limitation to the technology was finally 315 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 2: overcome just a few years ago. For the last thirty 316 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 2: years or so, there was always a cap on how 317 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 2: finally you could focus a beam of laser light, and 318 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 2: the result was that anything smaller than one hundred nanometers 319 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 2: couldn't be gripped by the tweezers. So I'm a little 320 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 2: rusty on the micro measurements, like how small is that 321 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 2: compared to the microns that you mentioned earlier. I'm embarrassed 322 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 2: to admit that I'm a little rusty on these measures. 323 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, if I didn't have a sheet of paper 324 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: in front of me, I wouldn't know. So one hundred 325 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: nanometers is equal to just zero point one microns. So 326 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: we were already dealing with incredibly small forms of matter 327 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 1: before that, like the organelle's inside a living cell or 328 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: a particle of bacteria. But these are even smaller than those, 329 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: and our laser chopsticks just couldn't get a hold of them. 330 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: But back in twenty fourteen, researchers an institute in Spain 331 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: finally figured out how to focus laser light to such 332 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: a fine degree that they could actually manipulate particles as 333 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: small as just fifteen animeters. 334 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 2: And so what kind of stuff does that actually allow 335 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 2: them to do so much stuff? Right? 336 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 1: Okay, enough, I mean we'll never really understand any fact. 337 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: I'm just going to defer to Scientific American on this 338 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: one and tell you that possible applications include, quote, building 339 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: medical products with nanoscale exactness, manufacturing nanocrystal geometries for electronic 340 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 1: devices and manipulating single molecules such as proteins. 341 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 2: Yeah stuff, Oh right, right, I guess that sounds good, 342 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 2: I think, But we've still got a few strange uses 343 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 2: for lasers to talk about, including a couple that are 344 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 2: strictly just for laughs. But first, let's take one more 345 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 2: quick break. 346 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: Welcome back to part time Genius. Okay, Well, so we've 347 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: talked about what lasers can do for aliens, and for 348 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,760 Speaker 1: sports judges and for scientists, but let's be selfish for 349 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,160 Speaker 1: a minute and talk about what lasers can do for us. 350 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 2: All right, Well, how about this one. You can use 351 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 2: a laser on your dirty dishes and have them cleaner 352 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 2: than they've ever been before. Like, say goodbye to your dishwasher. 353 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 2: You really won't need it from here on out because 354 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 2: of lasers. 355 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: Well, in my family, I'm actually the one who washes 356 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: the dishes, and I'm always looking for an excuse to 357 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: throw out my dishwasher. 358 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 2: So tell me more. All right. So it's pretty simple, really, 359 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 2: Like you talked about burning polyps off a coral earlier, 360 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 2: and it's the same premise here, except with all the 361 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 2: grease and oil and mystery crust that gets stuck to 362 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,199 Speaker 2: your cookwaar to just install this device that kind of 363 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 2: looks like really like a table lamp, I guess, and 364 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 2: you put it in your kitchen and then you never 365 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,200 Speaker 2: have to scrub another baking sheet or nonstick pan again. 366 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:54,640 Speaker 2: You don't even have to control the laser by hand. 367 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,760 Speaker 2: It is totally automated, so the beam just scans back 368 00:17:57,800 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 2: and forth over the pan or whatever it is that 369 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 2: you're clean. It just burns the grease right off of there. 370 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:03,719 Speaker 2: It's pretty amazing. 371 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 1: Wait, so it's gotta leave something behind, right, It doesn't 372 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: just vaporize all that gunk. 373 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,440 Speaker 2: That is true, like there should be some food ash 374 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 2: left behind. But that's not the case actually, because the 375 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,480 Speaker 2: laser cleaner also comes with a built in nozzle that 376 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 2: sucks up whatever the laser leaves behind. I mean, this 377 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,400 Speaker 2: is just amazing. And the coolest part is that these 378 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 2: two functions occur simultaneously. So the surface of the pan 379 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:31,119 Speaker 2: just goes from pitch black with grease to shiny and 380 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 2: clean right before your eyes. It's like some kind of 381 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,919 Speaker 2: low key kitchen magic. It should totally be an infomercial. 382 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:42,199 Speaker 2: This honestly feels like you're infomercial pitching. I am kind of. 383 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:46,480 Speaker 1: Also, I'm sold because you know, I'm the designated dishwasher 384 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:48,880 Speaker 1: and I hate scrubbing pans in the most. 385 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 2: It's definitely a pretty amazing invention. You can find the 386 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 2: videos of this thing online. You just look up laser 387 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 2: age TV on YouTube and look for the laser cleaning 388 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 2: of a baking tray. But if you do, make sure 389 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 2: you turn up the sound because you can hear the 390 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 2: food waste just sizzling away with every sweep of this laser. 391 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:10,439 Speaker 2: It almost sounds like an electric shaver or something. And 392 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 2: it's all just weirdly satisfying. 393 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I bet you know. I'm already sold. But my 394 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,199 Speaker 1: only qualm is if it's kid friendly to have like 395 00:19:19,359 --> 00:19:20,560 Speaker 1: lasers in your kitchen. 396 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:25,400 Speaker 2: Oh mango, it is absolutely not kids, say, and it's 397 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,440 Speaker 2: really just for large scale kitchens and bakeries, not something 398 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 2: you'd want to keep around the house. In fact, this 399 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,679 Speaker 2: might actually be the strongest commercial laser we have talked 400 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 2: about today. You remember the sea las thing that ships 401 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,119 Speaker 2: used to scare off pirates. 402 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,639 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, sorry, are you suggesting this technology? It can 403 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:41,879 Speaker 1: be used to clean pirates too. 404 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 2: You know what, that's actually a great idea, but not 405 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 2: exactly what I'm getting at here. But as strong as 406 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:50,880 Speaker 2: that was, it maxed out at twenty thousand miliwats. Well, 407 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 2: the laser for this cleaning system is six times stronger, 408 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,360 Speaker 2: at one one hundred and twenty thousand miliwats. But if 409 00:19:57,359 --> 00:19:59,479 Speaker 2: you want to know the real deal breaker, here's another 410 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 2: scary note. Forty five thousand dollars. That's actually the going 411 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:05,400 Speaker 2: rate for your own laser cleaner. 412 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: I don't know, sending my kids to college for getting 413 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: clean dishes and I have to it feels like an 414 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: even trade. 415 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:15,199 Speaker 2: Possibly, But all right, well, fair enough, So tell me 416 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:21,400 Speaker 2: how this strikes you though, Mango laser cooked bacon. I'm listening, 417 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 2: all right. So there's this mathematical science professor in Tokyo 418 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:27,440 Speaker 2: named Kintaro Fukushi, and a few years ago he partnered 419 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,439 Speaker 2: with a guy who runs a maker space in Japan, 420 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 2: and together they design this laser cutter that can perfectly 421 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 2: fry the fatty part of the bacon, leaving the rest 422 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 2: of it completely untouched. That's interesting, but why not cook 423 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 2: the bacon all the way? Well, you could definitely set 424 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:45,679 Speaker 2: it so that the whole piece of bacon was cooked 425 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 2: like The setup uses imaging software to build a map 426 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 2: of each bacon strip, and then you can set the 427 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:54,000 Speaker 2: laser to aim at whichever parts you want. 428 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,359 Speaker 1: I love that this is like probably the most complicated 429 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 1: way to cook bacon ever. But I still don't understand, 430 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 1: like why would you want partially raw bacon? Like did 431 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: they leave it that way on purpose? 432 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,880 Speaker 2: I mean, I love how much this is bothering you 433 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 2: instead of just focusing on the amazing technology. I mean, 434 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 2: the truth is they left the meaty parts of the 435 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:15,359 Speaker 2: bacon uncooked for a couple of reasons. First, it showed 436 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 2: off the mapping feature for their laser cutter, and second, 437 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 2: it was a way of honoring the raw food tradition 438 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 2: in Japan, like seafood is you know, the big example, 439 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 2: but there are lots of traditional Japanese dishes that call 440 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,800 Speaker 2: for raw chicken or pork. Eating raw meat is much 441 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 2: less common in Japan these days, but some people still 442 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 2: prefer their bacon only slightly browned. That's really interesting. I 443 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:37,399 Speaker 2: never heard of that. 444 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 1: Here's another unusual application for laser as I just learned about. 445 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,640 Speaker 1: According to research from the Lincoln Lab at MIT, it's 446 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,920 Speaker 1: possible to beam a secret message directly into someone's ear 447 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: using a laser. So you could actually be walking along 448 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:51,040 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden you hear a whisper in 449 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:53,120 Speaker 1: your ear. But it's not coming from the person next 450 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:55,040 Speaker 1: to you. It's coming from someone eight feet away that 451 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 1: you haven't even noticed. Who just shot a laser at 452 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 1: your ear? 453 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,679 Speaker 2: That is so creepy sounding. So how would this even work? Like, 454 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,120 Speaker 2: what do lasers have to do with transmitting sound? 455 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:05,720 Speaker 1: According to the research team behind this, it works because 456 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: laser light excites the moisture in the air around a 457 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:12,120 Speaker 1: target's ear. So basically there's a phenomenon called the photoacoustic effect, 458 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: and because of that, the water vapor in the air 459 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 1: will absorb the laser's emission. And then what that produces sound. Yeah, 460 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: the water vapor gets so excited by the laser that 461 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 1: it actually starts to vibrate an audible frequency. 462 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 2: All right, So, let's say you live in a dry climate, Like, 463 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,920 Speaker 2: would this not work there? I feel like I might 464 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 2: have to move to a desert just to escape this 465 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:30,360 Speaker 2: weird thing. 466 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 1: Well, it actually does work there because even if you're 467 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: somewhere dry, there's still usually enough water in the air 468 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,200 Speaker 1: to produce the effect. You maybe you wouldn't hear it 469 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: as strongly as you might in a wetter environment. But 470 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,440 Speaker 1: even then, the researchers think the volume of the sound 471 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: has more to do with how well the water absorbs 472 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:46,880 Speaker 1: the sound, rather than how. 473 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:48,160 Speaker 2: Much water there is in the air. 474 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,719 Speaker 1: That's terrific, you know, I'm still trying to decide if 475 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,640 Speaker 1: this is fascinating or horrifying. Like, on one hand, it'd 476 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:56,920 Speaker 1: be pretty fun to beam whispers back and forth without 477 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,080 Speaker 1: leaving a paper trail or like disturbing people around you. 478 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 1: You could even have a conversation from across a crowded room, 479 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: which would make for like an amazing party trick or 480 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,440 Speaker 1: a spy trick or whatever. But on the other hand, 481 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: it's easy to imagine like companies beaming ads into our 482 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: ears at all hours of the day. Like imagine walking 483 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 1: past a cocad at a bus stop and it triggers 484 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:17,439 Speaker 1: this like motion sensor, and as you walk away, you 485 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,440 Speaker 1: hear someone like playing the company jingle in your ear, 486 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 1: and things could start to feel super dystopian like pretty 487 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: quickly with something like that around. 488 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,920 Speaker 2: Wow, it'd be pretty unnerving. Yeah, it's so weird. 489 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: Right, But amazingly, that's not even the scariest potential use 490 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 1: for sound based lasers. Wired had this article recently about 491 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: how hackers will soon be able to use lasers to 492 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 1: speak to any kind of computer that uses voice commands. 493 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: So we're talking smartphones, tablets, even home assistants like Alexa, Siri, 494 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:48,160 Speaker 1: and Google Home waits. 495 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,040 Speaker 2: You're saying, the microphones and those devices will respond to 496 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 2: the light of a laser just like they would respond 497 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:54,160 Speaker 2: to a. 498 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,399 Speaker 1: Sound exactly so, according to the researchers who discovered this 499 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: was possible, if you point a laser at a microphone 500 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:03,400 Speaker 1: and change the intensity to a precise frequency, the light 501 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 1: will somehow stimulate the microphone's membrane at that same exact frequency. 502 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,719 Speaker 1: They aren't completely sure yet what causes this light as 503 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 1: speech effect, but the result is that the microphone reads 504 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: the incoming light as a digital signal, just like it 505 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,440 Speaker 1: does with sound. So if you were in a room 506 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: when this happened, you wouldn't actually hear anything. The laser 507 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: voice is completely silent, but the microphone inside your device 508 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: would respond as if it had just received a voice command. 509 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 2: All right, So what about the voice assistant that's on 510 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:33,119 Speaker 2: your phone, Like on my phone's SERI only responds to 511 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 2: commands if I'm the one who speaks them. So does 512 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 2: that make smartphones immune to these kind of laser attacks? 513 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:41,719 Speaker 1: I mean, they've got a slightly better line of defense 514 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: than smart speakers like the Amazon Echo or the Google Home. 515 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 1: Those don't have the kind of voice authentication you're talking about, 516 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:50,880 Speaker 1: and that makes them especially vulnerable to light commands from hackers. 517 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: But that said, if a hacker had a recording of 518 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,640 Speaker 1: your voice or was somehow able to reconstruct it, they 519 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: could actually adjust the frequency of their laser to match 520 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 1: the sound of your own voice and then use that 521 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 1: to issue commands to your phone. 522 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 2: So what kind of commands are we talking about exactly? 523 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 1: I mean, it's terrifying. They can make online purchases, unlock 524 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: your car, adjust your thermostat, open the garage door. It 525 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:13,640 Speaker 1: really just depends on the kind of system that's being 526 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: hacked and what the user has it hooked up to. 527 00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: And the worst part is, because of how intense a 528 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: laser beam is, hackers could use this trick even on 529 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:24,359 Speaker 1: devices that are hundreds of feet away. So if you 530 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: have a home assistant that responds to voice commands, your 531 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: best bed is to keep it away from any windows. 532 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,160 Speaker 1: If it's in a hacker's line of sight, then it's 533 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: in the line of their fire too. 534 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 2: Yeah that's interesting. You know, I thought we were selling 535 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,880 Speaker 2: a dishwasher laser in this show, but it turns out 536 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,359 Speaker 2: we're advocating for really heavy curtains and blinds. I feel 537 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 2: like at this point, I mean, it really all goes 538 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 2: back to what we were saying earlier. Just because we 539 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,160 Speaker 2: can do all of these things with lasers doesn't mean 540 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 2: we should. I mean, for my part, I think I'll 541 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 2: just stick to using them to point at things and 542 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:55,240 Speaker 2: we'll leave the rest to the professionals. 543 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's probably a good idea. But before we bout 544 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,560 Speaker 1: of this laser game for good, let's fire off a 545 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:12,919 Speaker 1: few more rounds in today's fact off. Okay, So I 546 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: wanted to start with this one because it's something I 547 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 1: always forget, which is that the word laser is really 548 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:22,400 Speaker 1: an acronym. It stands for light amplification by stimulated emission 549 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: of radiation. And the other weird thing is that most 550 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,119 Speaker 1: of that name was actually taken from an earlier technology 551 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:30,679 Speaker 1: that amplified microwaves instead of. 552 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 2: Light waves, So masers, I guess, yeah, exactly. 553 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: I used to think masers were some kind of made 554 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,800 Speaker 1: up science fiction version of lasers. Like in the old 555 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,679 Speaker 1: Godzilla movies, the military always rolled out these tanks with 556 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: satellite dishes on them to fight the monsters, and they 557 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: were called maser cannons. But it turns out that those 558 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 1: were a real thing, and they actually predate lasers by 559 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 1: about a decade or so. 560 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 2: Plus they're effective against Godzilla, which isn't nothing. I mean, 561 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:55,399 Speaker 2: that's impressive. 562 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 1: Right. 563 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 2: Well, back to lasers. If today's show has you craving 564 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 2: a few more lasers in your own life, you could 565 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 2: always head to No Man's Land for the most remote 566 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 2: game of laser tag on the planet. So originally built 567 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,880 Speaker 2: during the Victorian era, as this British sea fort, the 568 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 2: aptly named No Man's Land is an artificial island that 569 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:18,000 Speaker 2: never saw much action and was ultimately decommissioned during the 570 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 2: nineteen fifties. So from there, the fort had a single 571 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 2: brush with fame back in the seventies, when it served 572 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,879 Speaker 2: as a location for a Doctor Who episode apparently was 573 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 2: home to a race of these evil bipedal reptiles called 574 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 2: the Sea Devils. Then in twenty fifteen, No Man's Land 575 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 2: entered the strangest chapter yet when it was converted into 576 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 2: a luxury hotel and entertainment resort. These new features of 577 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 2: the fort include twenty two bedrooms, a cabaret bar, a sauna, 578 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,359 Speaker 2: plenty of shops and restaurants, and of course, a twenty 579 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 2: one room laser tag labyrinth that winds through the entire 580 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:55,920 Speaker 2: lower level. And if you think about it, like, who 581 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 2: doesn't want to play laser tag in the basement of 582 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:01,880 Speaker 2: an abandoned sea fort, it just sounds so awesome, pretty awesome, yea. 583 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,680 Speaker 1: In November twenty seventeen, a British laser lighting company set 584 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: the world record for the largest laser light show of 585 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:10,400 Speaker 1: all time. This is at a convention in Las Vegas. 586 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,160 Speaker 1: The company made history with a thirty minute laser show 587 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,360 Speaker 1: that featured to staggering three hundred and fourteen different lasers. 588 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: The show culminated in a seven minute finale that lit 589 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,920 Speaker 1: up the Nevada sky with a massive one three hundred 590 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:26,159 Speaker 1: and seventy seven watts of laser power. And again, for 591 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: a reference, the average laser pointer uses just five milliwatts. 592 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a lot of juice. That's that's interesting, all right, 593 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 2: So we've run through a bunch of different applications for 594 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 2: lasers today, but back in the sixties when they were 595 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 2: first being developed, no one was really sure how you 596 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 2: could actually use these things. In fact, the inventor of 597 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 2: the laser didn't even really know. His name was Theodore Maymon, 598 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 2: and despite building the first functioning laser for Hughes Laboratories 599 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 2: in nineteen sixty, he later referred to his creation as 600 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 2: quote a solution seeking a problem. And the good news, 601 00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 2: as I think we've shown today, is there turned out 602 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,200 Speaker 2: to be all all kinds of problems that lasers can 603 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 2: actually help solve. 604 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, that is true, but I have to point out 605 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,240 Speaker 1: there's at least one major problem that lasers could potentially 606 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: create in the future, and that is, of course, the 607 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: warping of space time. 608 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 2: You know, I thought for sure this was going to 609 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,160 Speaker 2: be about some like real life death star or something. 610 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,960 Speaker 2: But what do lasers have to do with space time? 611 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 2: So this all comes down to gravity. Light carries energy, 612 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 2: and because of that, light has its own gravity. But 613 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 2: the gravitational force created by laser light is scientifically speaking, 614 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,680 Speaker 2: a little bit funky. It turns out that when you 615 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 2: rotate a laser beam, it's gravity actually warps the nearby 616 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 2: space time, which you might recall, is basically the fabric 617 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 2: of the universe. So as the beam rotates, spacetime curls 618 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:43,320 Speaker 2: along with it. And I know this all sounds kind 619 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 2: of scary in world ending, but don't worry because the 620 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 2: researchers behind this discovery have a much less upsetting way 621 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 2: to think about it. According to them, the reality warping 622 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 2: effect is like if you put a ball into honey 623 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 2: and spin it, the ball kind of drags along the 624 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 2: honey around it. You know, I'm not sure that's any 625 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 2: more reassuring, but it is fun to imagine the fabric 626 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 2: of the universe is honey. So I really feel like 627 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 2: for that alone, you've earned the trophy for this week. Mango. Congratulations. 628 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,040 Speaker 1: Well, it is an honor as always. I do think 629 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: we should thank Gabe for doing the heavy lifting on 630 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 1: this episode, as he does for most episodes, But laziers 631 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: are so complicated. 632 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 2: And you did so much research for it. 633 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: But I think that's it for today's Part Time Genius 634 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 1: from Will, Gabe Lowell and myself. Thank you so much 635 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: for listening. We'll be back next week with another new episode. 636 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,760 Speaker 2: Part Time Genius is a production of iHeartRadio. For more 637 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 2: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 638 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:52,040 Speaker 2: wherever you listen to your favorite show.