3 ms·

Aren't all laser light shows technically "mechanical"? As far as I know solid state optical beam steering is not a thing yet.

• cr0sh 9y ago
  If you google "non-mechanical laser beam steering" you can find some interesting work being researched (I don't think anything is commercially available, though).
  • ASalazarMX 9y ago
    > An alternative to an acoustic-optic modulator is the electroptic deflector. There are a few types but the readily available type uses a quadrupole electric field on a lithium niobate crystal. This generates a linear refractive index gradient in one plane that can be adjusted on a ultra fast time scale. This gives the ability to change the deflection angle of a suitably polarised beam propagating down the quadrupole axis. With fast pulse generators the deflection speed can be good enough to achieve deflection by several diffraction angles in perhaps 10 ps. This sounds like something Geordi LaForge would say.
    • aphextron 9y ago
      >This sounds like something Geordi LaForge would say. Precisely why optics is the coolest shit ever
  • dreamcompiler 9y ago
    You can do it nonmechanically by bending the spacetime geodesic of the light path with an electromagnetically controlled nano black hole. Pretty sure they're not yet available on Aliexpress, but probably soon.
• darkstar999 9y ago
  Non-electronically controlled.