As most people will know, the scientific advances of the last hundred years or so far exceeded those of any previous historial age, as many great thinkers searched for new and improved ways of completing a myriad of tasks covering the majority of mankind’s daily routine. And computers and technology have had an even greater impact in the last few decades, making it possible to accomplish things that would have been impossible until a few years ago.
Whilst it is true to point out that not all of the inventions have especially been endorsed by all of the people – nuclear weapons being an obvious and emotive example – the great majority of advances have indeed made our lives simpler and more enjoyable. Such improvements involve enhanced entertainment options, automated machines to do household chores, surgical advances, enhancements to commercial processes and a whole lot more.
Included in the many inventions of the last fifty years is the laser, and right now, many people may struggle to think of an obvious way in which using a laser affects our lives nearly every day, but once you take a second to deliberate, there are considerably more than you think.
Albert Einstein originally had the idea of the theory of ‘laser’ in 1917, but it was not until the 1950’s that scientists started to try and prove his theory correct. However, in 1960 the very first laser was created. The word laser was actually suggested as it was an acronym of ‘Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation’. Well, indeed!
The laser stayed largely in the laboratories of science until 1974 when it made its first proper public entrance as the vital part of new supermarket barcode scanners, and if you still remember back to the time when every object on sale in a supermarket had a sticky price label attached to it which had to be keyed into the till by hand you’ll definitely confirm just how much impact the use of that one little ‘Laser eye’ has had on speeding up the supermarket experience.
In the public domain, hard on the heels of the barcode scanner, the laser disc player was released onto the market (the discs are still very sought after in specialist areas of the market despite the fact that the idea never properly caught on). Not Long after that, the Compact Disc Player appeared – and where would any entertainment system be without that piece of kit? And whilst we’re talking about music, bands such as Pink Floyd, The Who and Electric Light Orchestra were already using laser light shows to enhance their live appearances during the 1970’s, although such light shows are now highly regulated after health and safety issues relating to Laser eye damage.
Away from public eyes though, scientists and scholars in many fields had been coming up with and then developing various other uses for lasers. In the area of healthcare, treatments for kidney stones, some orthodontics requirements and Laser eye surgery were all being developed, as well as cosmetic surgery procedures such as scar and tattoo removal, hair removal and treatment for bad skin.
In industry, the laser is now utilised for functions such as cutting and welding. And in military circles, lasers are employed in both defence and attack strategies in a number of ways. It is amazing to think that just this one invention has so many uses in everyday life, as do so many other inventions from the last few decades.
As with so many versatile inventions, it would seem that further uses for the laser may be discovered in the coming years. If a laser can play music and images for us, what other things could it do in the world of entertainment? If it can restore someone’s vision through Laser eye surgery, or get rid of kidney stones or scars, what other organs of the body could it also be used to heal? There are probably a huge number of other things that it could be used for too – the limit is likely to be mankind’s imagination.
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