Real Saber Concepts...

[MoonDragn]

Well heres my 2 cents for whatever it is worth.

Most of the almost possible ideas here involve plasma and a magnetic bottle of some sort. However a magnetic field cannot be shaped in a cylinder like that without something to generate the field on that end. I really don't think this particular idea is feasible.

I've actually given the idea of lightsabers alot of thought over the years and I see a few possibilities.

The laser idea would work if there were ever a possibility to make short duration Photons. Photons that burn itself out after a certain distance etc.

Unfortunately with photons, they really never burn itself out. Thats the reason they travel millions and billions of light years through space.

That doesn't mean you can't make a weapon out of light.

Look at this : http://www.i4u.com/article14324.html and  http://www.i4u.com/article14561.html

Bright enough to burn.


If you notice in that example video, it only burns at a certain distance away from the paper. Imagine a flashlight intense enough that it can burn up to say 36 inches; Throw out some particles that shows where the light beam is and you essentially have a lightsaber.

Of course, you could do this with a laser, which is just coherent light.

Another idea is to emit a stream of low energy electrons in a triangular cone shape that would deflect the photons at a certain distance from the emitter scattering them and thereby reducing their intensity.

http://www.phys.ualberta.ca/~gingrich/phys512/latex2html/node102.html

Lastly how about nano machines that can fly, and fly in a pattern in the shape of a blade over the emitter. They would arc plasma from the emitter between each other to form the blade surface.

Nothing is really impossible, just a matter of technology being advanced enough.

[TheChosenOne15]

just a thought that i had today in my physics class:

realistically, even if one were to create a way to form the blade and control its length like in the films, you wouldn't see the blade grow in lengh because the blade is made of pure light energy packets called photons. now since a photon is light energy, they are travleing the speed of light, therefore the blade would seem to instantaneously appear. so all-in-all the luxeon LED saber is more realistic than the power up/power down sequence of the MR or Hasbro sabers.

now what would be interesting would be if one could somehow control the photons' speed. hmm good luck slowing down the fastest thing in the universe. haha

MTFBWY

[Jedi10096121]

I have put a lot of thought into this subject myself and have come to realise that such technology is practically impossible to create in something the size of a lightsaber, however plasma being a dangerous substance which would electrocute, burn and even kill you, the concept of having a blade of pure energy with capabilities proposed in the movies would require an unreal amount of energy. but!

it is possible to have some form of microwave emmiter focussed on a flame or some other over excited gas to form plasma, and plama with its properties makes magnetic alignment possible, but how to produce a magnetic field without all the extras at the side of the blade to contain it is another question. however the whole idea is a bit forward and most of us public would never be able to own one for it would be considered the same as bomb/firearm constructin if not worse!!! so until such technology exists and the human race is responsible to handle such device! look what we did with nuclear power the moment it became a reality!!! however im quite happy with the force fx for my enjoyment, at least only the saber can be killed!!! there is much to say but it will turn up in some sentances or another.

i do hope such a weapon is developed though it would be an immense addition to humanitys innovative side! p.s. i think old george lucas deserves to have the first one if it comes sooner, who knows!!!

[TheChosenOne15]

it is possible to have some form of microwave emmiter focussed on a flame or some other over excited gas to form plasma

kind of like a pilot light if you will

it seems that a lightsaber or almost any other form sci fi weaponry has been deemed impossible by today's technology, but prior to the turn of the 20th century (as if it were oh so long ago) it was claimed that it was physically impossible for man to fly, it was said that it was impossible to split an atom, but i believe that it is the duty of physicists and engineers to challenge what is thought to be impossible, and if the wright brothers or einstein himself hadn't challenged those impossibilities then the world of today would not exist. my point is that as long as something is within the laws of physics then it's possible. so our beloved lightsabers, blasters, phasers, or what have you are all possible and whether or not they're created is up to mankind's diligence in challenging and overcoming the impossible.

just a few of my thoughts on future of technology

MTFBWY in your quest for the impossible

[MoonDragn]

actually, recent research has proven that you could simulate a realistic lightsaber like effect, by ionizing the air into visible light. By changing the focus, you can change the distance the ionized air is affected, creating a lightsaber effect.

However, I don't know if this would ever be powerful enough to do the same cutting the lightsaber can do.

[GRAND MOFF TARKIN]

Swirling in and around one another, a plasma’s charged particles interact constantly, giving rise to localized attractions or repulsions. External energy splashing against the plasma --- say, from a potentially disabling, concentrated burst of microwaves, or perhaps even from certain varieties of particle-beam weapons fired from military bases on Earth -- could be caught up within the plasma’s complex electromagnetic fields to be dissipated completely or deflected into space.

Sounds alot like the blade of a saber...

pulled from  http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/cold_plasma_000724.html


All in time.....FYI SHOWS THE CUTTING OF TISSUE...not bad at all just a heads up.

http://www.peaksurgical.com/video/plasmablade.cfm

[Spaceman788]

HEAR ME OUT!!! I have an IDEA(hear me out)You know those laser cutter things that cut plastic,wood,glass,etc.? Well if someone found a metal that it couldn't cut through and created a hilt to hold the components,and made brace to hold the metal piece up about 3 feet,and aimed the laser perfectly in the center of said metal you would have a working lightsaber

[Darth Kaos]

With the recent advances in our technology, I'd say 10-20 years. The Military of course will have the rights to produce it first, then comes the consumer companies that will make it available to the public (us lightsaber aficionados  ;D).

[Delmustator]

Until Man is able to produce high energy and control it in small packages, it will not happen.

[Master Dru-Er]

Proto saber then I'm not too pickey!

[hullbreach]

Light sabers are completely unrealistic fantasy contraptions that violate the laws of physics no matter how sophisticated the hypothetical future tech involved is. How could you contain plasma energy in blade form while still allowing that same plasma to come into contact with outside objects? Seems to be the very tech that would make the blade possible prevents it's very usage. And beyond some kind of force field trapping in the plasma, how else would you make it conform to the shape of a blade? You couldn't, is the simple answer.

[MoonDragn]

HEAR ME OUT!!! I have an IDEA(hear me out)You know those laser cutter things that cut plastic,wood,glass,etc.? Well if someone found a metal that it couldn't cut through and created a hilt to hold the components,and made brace to hold the metal piece up about 3 feet,and aimed the laser perfectly in the center of said metal you would have a working lightsaber

The only problem with that type of lightsaber is that there would be no cutting edge, it would be blocked by the brace holding the metal piece up.

Light sabers are completely unrealistic fantasy contraptions that violate the laws of physics no matter how sophisticated the hypothetical future tech involved is. How could you contain plasma energy in blade form while still allowing that same plasma to come into contact with outside objects? Seems to be the very tech that would make the blade possible prevents it's very usage. And beyond some kind of force field trapping in the plasma, how else would you make it conform to the shape of a blade? You couldn't, is the simple answer.

Actually, no, after some serious thought, and reading up on the latest advances, I think it is entirely plausable with our current technology.

What you do is to have multiple beams of lasers that ionizes specific locations in the air above the hilt. This set of lasers will create a visible "blade" of light because of the ionized air, at the same time the sychronized laser can cut through objects. Because the laser is normally not powerful enough to cut anything from just one exposure, you won't feel the laser except along the points where multiple beams are focused. There it will combine the cutting power to be strong enough to cut through something.

[Master Nuuton]

Light sabers are completely unrealistic fantasy contraptions that violate the laws of physics no matter how sophisticated the hypothetical future tech involved is. How could you contain plasma energy in blade form while still allowing that same plasma to come into contact with outside objects? Seems to be the very tech that would make the blade possible prevents it's very usage. And beyond some kind of force field trapping in the plasma, how else would you make it conform to the shape of a blade? You couldn't, is the simple answer.

there is a book titled Physics of the Impossible by Dr. Michio Kaku. he talks about the possibility of a majority of sci fi technology such as starships, robots, phasers, and our beloved lightsabers.  it really puts perspective on technological possibilities. these are just what he calls a class 1 impossibilites, as he has three classes. i really is an excelent read.

-MTFBWY

[Spaceman788]

To the person who said:The only problem with that type of lightsaber is that there would be no cutting edge, it would be blocked by the brace holding the metal piece up.

There would only be one brace up one side.

[MoonDragn]

Then the brace would either have to be thin enough or the blade cut thick enough to cut through an object. Or else the brace would get caught every time you tried to swing through something.