If you’re anything like me, my conscious use of lasers is limited to using a small pen-like pointer to malevolently taunt my pets around the living room.

Watching them chase the tiny, fleeting red beam around the carpeted floor can be quite entertaining when there’s nothing to watch on the television.

For a long time, lasers seemed to only belong to the world of science fiction, like with lightsabers — need I say more?

But as time goes on and technological progress marches forward, the line between sci-fi and reality seems to be getting increasingly blurred.

Although most of us didn’t realize it, lasers have actually been around for decades. But nowadays, they’re starting to look a lot less like puny, little laser pointers — like the ones I so affectionately use for tormenting my pets — and a lot more like the stuff seen in Star Wars.

It took the laser a long time before it could grow into its own hype.

But now, some of their many uses may just shock you…

Scarecrows — Yes, Scarecrows

Scarecrows have been around for a very long time. The first recollections of scarecrows date back to ancient Egypt where early farmers used a version of the stuffed decoys to protect their wheat fields from flocks of hungry quail.

In today’s technologically advanced age, scarecrows have grown to be much more than a pile of old clothes stuffed with straw like what we’re all used to seeing around Halloween.

Farms like Meduri Farms in Jefferson, Oregon, are using an automated bird laser to keep birds from attacking their blueberry crops:

Justin Meduri, the farm’s operations manager, realized that the company was losing 25% of its overall potential crop volume due to pesky birds like the American robin, blackbird, and European starling. These birds also cost the state of Oregon over $11 million in lost blueberry harvest each year.

Meduri was losing about $100,000 in revenue.

Using a system called Agrilaser Autonomic, made by the Dutch Bird Control Group, Meduri estimates that the six laser machine system has saved him nearly 600,000 lb. of blueberries annually so far.

Using the lasers for repelling the birds is based on legitimate science. The device takes advantage of birds’ natural instincts where they see the laser as a natural predator and fly away from it to safety.

The devices aren’t meant to harm the birds. Rather, they stimulate the birds’ flight responses. Better yet, the birds won’t become habituated to the green beams, meaning that the effectiveness of the machine is maintained.

The Agrilaser uses a projection safety system for making sure that the laser doesn’t stray from a predetermined field pattern. If it does, the machine will switch off. This is to prevent the lasers from obstructing the view of motorists or passersby. It also doesn’t aim overhead in order to avoid interfering with air traffic.

The machine, with a price tag of approximately $10,500, also comes in two other variations: the handheld and the lite alternatives, which are both less bulky and more portable than the standard version.

The Automatic is powered by both alternating currents and solar charging. It also syncs with software on a laptop where the user may save up to 16 different patterns and three different timeslots — quite a difference from its straw-stuffed counterparts.

Treatments for Depression

A high-powered, multi-watt, transcranial near-infrared light therapy (NILT) has proved to be effective in bringing remission to patients with comorbid depression and traumatic brain injuries, according to research conducted by Dr. Theodore Henderson of the Neuro-Laser Foundation and Dr. Larry D. Morries of Neuro-Luminance Inc.

This unique and noninvasive “neuro-laser” can penetrate the scalp and skull, reaching the brain to reenergize damaged brain cells, improve brain metabolism, and effectively treat depression. It does all of this while reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration — without any side effects.

The observational study followed 39 patients who had both traumatic brain injuries and depression:

Within four to eight treatments, 12 patients reported significant improvements in their depressive symptoms. Fully, 92% of the patients experienced significant reductions in their depression symptoms and a staggering 82% reported being in remission, meaning they no longer had any depression symptoms after treatment.

Dr. Morries, who collected the data and supervised the NILT treatment on patients, had this to say about the study:

We’ve seen no side effects, and many of the patients have remained depression-free for years since treatment. These benefits are much greater, and the patients have persistent benefits with this high-powered multi-Watt laser, than what is reported for the low-Watt infrared devices commonly found on the market.

A fundraising campaign, called Say Goodbye TBI, supports the Neuro-Laser Foundation’s continuing research and raising financial aid for military veterans, first responders, and others who may qualify for this treatment.

Military and Defense

In the U.S., small consumer drones are fairly benign nuisances — buzzing around beaches, filming neighborhood from 400 ft. above the ground, and, hopefully, steering clear of airports.

To the armed forces that are fighting overseas, however, small drones can pose huge threats. They can be rigged with explosives and firearms or simply be deployed as surveillance tools for spying on our soldiers.

Defense manufacturer Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) rolled out its answer to this threat back in October at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington.

And oh boy, it looks fun:

I mean, come on — how could a laser-shooting, drone-killing dune buggy not be fun?

The defense contractor’s solution to the evolving drone threat can zap quadcopters out of the sky for up to four hours on a single charge and for up to 30 shots. That’s a lot of melted drones.

The system uses a high-energy laser, coupled with a targeting system adapted from Raytheon’s Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS), which combines optical and infrared sensors for acquiring and tracking airborne targets and also for directing the beams it fires.

The benefit of laser tech over mechanical and kinetic countermeasures like missiles, firearms, or snares in drone hunting is that the laser can easily track the target and move the beam even while firing.

It’ll be more accurate and more reliable.

Raytheon isn’t the only outfit that’s strapping directed-energy weaponry against buzzing drones. Boeing (NYSE: BA) is showing off its own drone-killing laser cannons, including one mounted on a truck:

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is currently developing and testing their own laser weapon systems, too, with highly impressive results, to boot.

Even the Air Force is working to arm its B-52 bomber plane with defensive laser weapons that are able to incinerate attacking air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

Raytheon’s trick is making a smaller, less powerful (but still effective) laser — one that can run from small ground vehicles that offer limited power resources.

Raytheon’s CEO, Tom Kennedy, says that high-energy laser technology is a big priority at the moment. It possesses a limitless magazine as long as electricity is available.

To put it simply: Power up, drone down.

The Bottom Line

Without undermining the utility of my preferred laser pointer for entertaining my pets and me, these multifaceted uses for lasers are undoubtedly cooler.

Lasers are far more than just an amplified beam of light and are more real than the stuff of the sci-fi world.

They can be used as an aid to farmers, one of the only effective mental health treatments for our service men and women, an essentially unlimited source of ammunition, and the list goes on…

As technology advances, the skill set of the laser will continue widening.

Simply put, lasers are really cool.

That’s all for now.

Until next time,

John Peterson
Pro Trader Today