Manufacturing is an intricate and timely process which provides the necessary tools for the mass production of all purchased manufactured goods. It is the most important process that makes the comfort of modern daily life possible by providing the various tools which give life in a growing and continuously developing economy. Through manufacturing processes, the standard of living is constantly improving and reaching new heights.

The benefits of manufacturing products and materials can be found serving the general public as well as within major businesses and companies that are constantly providing for their dedicated consumers. Manufacturing is a respected process that also helps to make the many communications technologies of today possible. From cell phones to laptops, manufacturing directly affects our daily lives more than we may actually realize.

Along with communications stands transportation. The manufacturing process helps make efficient and reliable transportation possible through the testing and assembling of new and improved automobiles and concept cars. Safety regulations are taken into effect when building annually revised transportation vehicles.

As a further example, the medical procedures of today wouldn’t be seen as safe if it weren’t for the use and processes of manufacturing. We would still be hanging in the ether with conflicting ideas while trying to determine how to assemble countless medical devices and machines.

Other products that wouldn’t be possible without first going through one or more manufacturing processes include: machining software, laser processing equipment, and automated systems such as robotic controls and sensors.

When you want to watch a movie at home, what method do you use? Do you pop your favorite DVD into your new Microsoft Xbox One? Or do you rent a movie on Blu-ray and watch it through an updated Sony disc player such as the PlayStation 4 (PS4)? Or, maybe you choose to stream movies through a more modern medium such as Netflix or Hulu. Either way, watching one’s favorite movies and television shows at home has become more and more convenient through the continuous developments and revisions of both gaming and home entertainment systems. And, thanks to the development of the CD player, these methods have become quite mainstream throughout the years. But, what method truly started it all? The convenience of owning a home viewing device can be traced back to the year 1978 when the LaserDisc™ initially hit the home video market in North America during the era of VHS and Betamax.

At the time of its release, the LaserDisc was considered to be a new “home video” format, or pre-recorded media, specifically designed for home theater entertainment. This device was  initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision, or simply “DiscoVision,” for the first time in North America on December 15 1978. LaserDisc, or DiscoVision, had the physicality similar to that of the later compact disc (CD) and digital versatile disc (DVD) – which are both based on LaserDisc technology.

To compare, The LaserDisc had been a much larger version of today’s CD or DVD – having been about 12” in diameter or similar to the size of a record. These discs were also double-sided which enabled consumers to watch content longer than 60 minutes. LaserDiscs also didn’t need to be rewinded like VHS tapes since they had chapter markers, similar to that of a DVD, as early as the late 1980s thus introducing the idea of “scene selection.” After a few years passed the LaserDisc players also came to incorporate infrared laser diodes. This new laser-head component would position itself on an inserted disc in order to read the invisible content – with reason for this being that the laser could access different parts of a movie or play content continuously without the viewer having to eject the disc as users often had to do with previous time-limited versions of the disc which initially functioned using gas helium-neon laser tubes. The LaserDisc shares many similar characteristics to the modern CD and DVD however there are a few major differences.

For example, The LaserDisc was completely analog, similar to the concept of the barcode scanner, and used FM modulation. It also had a much longer lifespan since it was optical and not magnetic unlike the later renditions of both the CD and DVD which utilized a thin layer of metal that was read by a laser in order to access the encrypted data whereas the early versions of the LaserDisc used a method that required a laser to read coded bumps found on the surface of the disc which followed a continuous spiral path that covered the entire disc surface.

Many technology buffs will agree that the initial idea of the LaserDisc was inspired by the inventor of the original optical disc, Dr. David Paul Gregg. The inspiration came as early as 1958 by the simple idea that video could be reproduced through electron beam optical technology. It wasn’t until much later that home video formats began to use laser technology.

Historically, Dr. Gregg held a patent for a video disc as early as March in 1962 while the LaserDisc didn’t come out until 1978. CDs didn’t come out for another four years after the initial release of the LaserDisc and DVDs didn’t come out until the late 1990s. It’s safe to say that Dr. Gregg was many years ahead of his time.

The patents held by Dr. Gregg were through his own company, Gauss ElectroPhysics, and were eventually purchased six years later in 1968 by the Music Corporation of America (MCA) – a massive company that had various rights to countless movies and music. This led to the optical discs initial release as MCA DiscoVision.

However, after the release of DiscoVision MCA realized that they didn’t have the necessary resources nor adequate experience to build the players nor the hardware needed to accompany these futuristic discs. VHS tapes were cheaper to manufacture and sold at a fair price ($10.00 per tape) while LaserDiscs and LaserDisc technologies were more expensive to manufacture and often sold at a much higher price ($30.00 per disc). Americans thought the discs and their accompanied players were too pricey even though the LaserDisc had a much better quality and more advanced features than a VHS tape.

A few years later, the small Japanese Company Pioneer took their turn at improving the technology through the invention of the industrial player in the 1980s. These players were mainly designed for the education market and places where children spent much of their time learning about academics etc. Pioneer was able to successfully launch this LaserDisc device simply because they had the necessary tools, expertise, and manufacturing resources to do so – unlike the previous attempt made by MCA. The first DVD player (model DVL-9) was launched in Japan in 1996 and combined LaserDisc and DVD player technologies. This player became extremely popular Japan and can be the release that led to the development of the CD player four years later.

We now have countless CDs and DVDs available for purchase in stores world-wide. The content on these discs vary and often give historical record-players a run for their money. Many popular movies that had been released via VHS tapes have since been converted into lightweight discs that offer more convenience when it comes to modern home video players. VCRs can still be bought however the difficulty comes with finding content to play through the use of these now antique machines.

You have used them in presentations. You may reflect with a small sense of fondness, when you remember when they, rather than smartphone screens, were the biggest distraction in a movie theater. Since the 1980’s, the laser pointer has served as a productivity tool, prankster’s weapon-of-choice, and, most importantly, as a way to put laser technology into the hands of millions.

For clarification, this Throwback Thursday spotlight will focus only on the red and red orange handheld laser pointers used for everyday applications.

When the first consumer laser pointers were developed 30 or so years ago, they were bulky and would run you somewhere over the hundred dollar mark. Over time, simpler, more affordable materials were used. In doing so, the laser pointers evolved into the $5 versions we know today.

The laser pointer, regardless of size, has a similar structure across models. The device consists of a case, usually made of acrylic, plastic, or lightweight metal. Inside the case is a laser diode, an optic lens, a laser diode, and a circuit board. A red laser diode is typically assembled in a semiconductor lab, with a base material used as the substrate. A small piece of the substrate is used as the base, where conductive and semi-conductive materials are laid upon it. When all materials are layered, the piece is cut into smaller pieces and tested. If the laser diodes prove functional, they are encased in plastic and attached to a circuit board.

A switch is attached to the same circuit board, along with the necessary circuitry to turn the device on and off, as well as power it through use. A single lens is placed into the device, which focuses and limits the beam casts from the diode.The smallest handheld laser pointers are powered by watch batteries, and will cast a low powered beam of light. Slightly larger versions, powered by AA and AAA batteries, will generate incrementally more power, casting a stronger light, for a longer period of time. In battery powered laser pointers, a metal spring is attached inside the end of the enclosure. Like other battery powered devices, the spring comes in contact with the battery and helps to draw in electricity.

The exact origin of the laser pointer is closely intertwined with the history of the laser, itself. At the time of writing, no single individual is credited with the invention of the laser pointer. However, its rise and popularity in the late 20th century is symbolic of the laser’s shift from exclusively technical operation, into a consumer product.

These days, laser pointers are banned in a large number of places. Class III laser pointers are the only ones legally available to the general public, due to their low power. While the average laser pointer operator is responsible in their operation of the device, those who used the devices for nefarious purposes, such as aiming the beam directly into another’s eye, made way for strict legislation of handheld laser pointers. Even with the restrictions, laser pointers still pose a risk to pilots, who can be temporary blinded by eye contact with a laser pointer.

Despite these laws and restrictions, the widespread adoption of the  laser pointer serves as a reminder of how far laser technology has come, in a relatively short time. Although the technology is often used for troublesome or dangerous pranks, the laser pointer was, and will continue to be, used for its intended purposes worldwide.

In recent years, the theoretical and practical application of laser technology for space research has increased. As the push for manned and large craft exploration has slowed, due to costs, risks, and other challenges, finding alternatives is a priority for the numerous private and government funded operations with their eyes on the stars.

One of these proposed operations, known as the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, wants to send miniature probes, propelled by lasers, to nearby star systems.

It is no secret that electronics are getting smaller. Much smaller. The probes proposed by the initiative would be approximately the size of a standard postage stamp, and weigh as much as a paper clip. On this tiny piece of tech, will be an even smaller communication laser, a nuclear battery, a micro-computer, and cameras.

A multitude of these ‘chips’ will be launched at once, using a “100 gigawatt laser blast from a ground-based light-beamer array.” To put it into perspective, this is nearly the same amount of power required for a space shuttle to reach liftoff.  Within minutes, the chips would accelerate to a speed high enough to reach beyond Pluto, and into the next star system in approximately two decades.

There are a number of challenges limiting the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative. To safely launch the chips, the laser system will require a cool-down mechanism. The potential for the chips deteriorating over time is high, considering the conditions they may encounter in space travel. Precision and exact measurements are also key to the initiative’s success.

Like other theoretical space exploration proposals, the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative is still years away from actualization. However, the continued appearance of lasers in such concepts paints an exciting potential future for new laser-based applications. For more on the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, check out the original infographic via Space.com here.

You wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is grab your cell-phone. You check your notifications and may even wonder why “this is the norm”. With the internet becoming more and more accessible and used more-often-than-not, it’s safe to believe that the internet isn’t leaving us anytime soon. Yet, the question still remains: where did the internet come from? The internet and the function of light-based signals can all be traced back to one major feat: fiber optics. Fiber optics, or optical fibers, are the components that helped create the internet and make international communications possible.

More than half a century ago, fiber optics were invented solely for medical and military purposes. These purposes lie within the subcategory of imaging. Years later, the invention of the laser eventually led to the major use of fiber optics within telecommunications due the discovery that these fibers weren’t majorly affected by air movement and other environmental factors such as fog, haze, and weather. Fiber optics are also able to carry hundreds of gigabits per second through the use of advanced modulation, or the action of adding information to a carrier signal, thus making them more reliable when it comes to more efficient bandwidth. Advances in technology have enabled even more data to be conveyed through a single optical fiber over long distances.

Scientists have since coined this period in time as the “big-data era” due to daily video streaming and dedicated use of hand-held device and computer applications. The need of bandwidth will only continue to grow. Since their first integration, fiber optics have changed the way society communicates. Even so communication is still evolving as we know it and actively creating a difference in the average consumer’s lifestyle.

And yet, one question still remains: what will we do with all this bandwidth? We’ve stepped into this big-data era and have since become equally inspired and enthralled when it comes to developing the devices of tomorrow as well as bettering present communication tools. These fibers have since helped us learn about the rest of the world through the urge of globalization while helping us create a more understanding and knowledgeable society through the spreading of information. The future of the next decade thrives on the use of optical fiber networks.