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Newsflash: Real-life Light Saber is Dangerous

By Brian | July 23, 2010 | Share on Facebook

Also, when handling swords, stay away from the pointy end.

But I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Let’s back up to the part where a company called Wicked Lasers created a product called the S3 Spyder III Pro Arctic, which is a hand-held device that emits a blue laser beam powerful enough to “blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts.” In other words, it’s a light saber. Retail price? $299.95 (includes laser, safety goggles and training lenses; lens cleaner and extra battery available for $10 each). Think I’m kidding? Think again:

So what’s more unbelievable than this? How about a sternly worded cease and desist letter from LucasFilms? Apparently, despite the fact that the company never used the term “light saber” and goes out of their way to warn people how dangerous the product is on their website (my favorite line: “the Spyder III Pro Arctic . . . is not a toy, it is a high power Class 4 1W laser. . . . this laser must NEVER be used to play with your pets.”), LucasFilms still feels it has the right to make them stop selling it.

Next up: the guy who first conceived of the Star Trek communicator attempts to stop production of all flip-top cellphones…

(hat tip: Speculist)
 

Topics: The Future is Now | 2 Comments »

2 Responses to “Newsflash: Real-life Light Saber is Dangerous”

  1. Jeff Porten says at July 23rd, 2010 at 6:23 pm :
    It’s the picture — the damn thing is *styled* just like a light saber. That’s the only leg Lucas has to stand on. That said, my guess is that the Wicked people are thrilled with the publicity this is generating. Would you have heard about this if Lucas hadn’t sued?

  2. Brian says at July 24th, 2010 at 1:04 am :
    Well, yeah, because I read the Speculist blog. Now, whether they would have heard of it if Lucas hadn’t sued is another question entirely…