By Ted Thornhill
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Earlier this year a team of UK researchers announced that they’re developing a Star Trek ‘tricorder’ - Dr McCoy's diagnostic marvel.
But if fans don’t want to wait for that they can always feast their eyes on the phaser gun from the early series of the TV show that someone has built in his garage.
In the much-loved series, the phasers were used by the intrepid Captain Kirk and co to destroy evil aliens â€" or capture them by setting the weapons, famously, to stun.
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Bright idea: One inventor has boldy gone where no inventor has gone before
Enterprising: The homemade weapon looks remarkable realistic
The homemade version is very realistic looking and even shoots out a powerful blue laser, which the maker uses to pop a balloon on a chair.
Tech website geek.com speculates that the laser is probably from a PlayStation 3 Blu-ray drive.
Footage of the weapon has been uploaded to YouTube, which even contains smoke effects for added sci-fi atmosphere.
The tricorder, meanwhile, is being developed by a team from the University of Birmingham's School of Biosciences.
The shoe box-sized prototype can already detect dangerous E.coli bugs in a sample in five minutes.
In the original Star Trek series, Dr Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy was hardly ever without his trusty tricorder. Diagnosing illness in a Starship Enterprise crew member was as simple as waving the device over the patient.
No mercy: The maker blasts a balloon with the gun, which probably uses a PlayStation 3 Blu-ray laser
The real deal: A Christie's auction of Star Trek studio items in 2006 featured one of the phaser guns used by actors in the show
Captain Kirk wields his trusty laser in Star Trek III: The search for Spock
The tricorder has caught the public imagination to the extent that a 10 million dollar (£6.16 million) prize is waiting to be claimed by anyone who can build one, or something like it.
Dr Tim Dafforn, who heads the Birmingham bioscientists, thinks he could be in with a chance.
He told journalists at a press briefing in London: ‘We'll be vying for that, absolutely.’
The device is an example of new applications coming out of the emerging field of ‘synthetic biology’, which involves re-engineering biological systems.
At its heart are bacteriophages - viruses that attack bacteria. By attaching antibodies to the viruses, they can be made to ‘stick’ to specific micro-organisms.
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In my country China these are prohibited on airplanes.
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"They Do Exist".....! :-)
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"it can pop a balloon".Then it can also blind a person instantly and permanently. Please don' matket this.
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The 'laser' is real although obviously not as powerful as the ones portrayed in "Star Trek" ! Checkout the tutorial builds and examples on Youtube. For example - "2W (2000mW) Blue Laser vs. Line of 24 Balloons" or "Insanely Powerful 2000mW Blue Laser Destroying Stuff". Personally, I feel there's an opportunity for someone to make a lot of money out of this!
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Yes a load of nonsense. They don't use weapons grade lazers in playstation consoles :/ The laser beadm would have to be very powerful to ionise the air around to show a solid beam. Even military lasers don't ionize the air and no beam is visible. We are not a bunch of gullible idiots, and your nor being fair on the ones who are that then go around telling everyone they have made star trek phaser guns 'because I read it in the DM innit...'
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That can't be a real one. Otmane EL RHAZI.
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After watching so many laser videos on YouTube already, one person designs a Phaser for the laser to be fired from and gets it featured in the DM. I can't say I'm all that impressed.
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I'm glad it pops balloons. Balloons and clowns frighten me. - Dave Smart, Brixton.London, 28/4/2012 12:01 ---------- Dave, I wish I knew how to help you but, well, ....just stay away from any mirrors!
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Dave Smart, how can you be frightened of a balloon you WIMP!!!
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"Well, he's got a life Jim - but not as you'd know it!".
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