Laser, which is an acronym for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation,” transformed a lot of industries by the dawn of the 21st century. Lasers are devices which can emit light, using an amplified intensity of light that has been drawn out by electromagnetic radiation. The laser is believed to be discovered in the 1960s, through the experiments posted by Theodore H. Mainman. He built the first laser, and he also stated that the technology was created with the help from the early research of fellow scientists Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes, who have dedicated a lot of their time in producing lasers.
Today, lasers are being used in a lot of industries. When the lasers were first introduced in the 1960s, people have no idea where they can be used. It was also dubbed as a solution that is looking for a problem. Scientists managed to test the lasers and see how useful they can be, and years later, the laser became a staple in the production of a lot of electronic devices. The barcode scanner, which was invented in 1974, is the first device that used the laser technology. It took more than a decade before the public found out how the lasers can help them with their everyday tasks, and the roles that were given to this technology expanded through the years.
In the field of communication, lasers are now being used for fiber-optic communication. The lasers act as a channel to connect one device to another, and because of its availability, lasers are also used to communicate from Earth to space. Scientists are also looking for a way on how they can integrate lasers into the traditional signal providers on the ground to fasten up the speed of the internet. In the field of industry, the laser is used extensively to cut materials. Laser cutting made it possible to produce thin sections, engraving on hard surfaces, computerized sculpting, and so much more. Lasers are also used in the field of military, especially countries which are interested in producing a weapon that could shoot laser beams. Today, some weapons were developed from the technology. It can blind someone, which would give an unfair advantage to the one who used the laser.
Lasers are also used in the field of law and traffic enforcement, and some people could be detected by using a laser scanner in their fingerprints. It is also used to solve several crimes, and with the aid of lasers, fingerprints in an area can be identified quickly. Lasers have also contributed a lot in the field of research, and it helped the scientists to make their jobs easier. Using lasers, many types of research have been confirmed, and the advancement in the field of medicine kept moving on. Commercial products are also benefiting from the laser technology, as well as the production of optical discs that can be played on specialized players. More industries are expected to benefit from the technology, as scientists are now geared on developing better laser technology.
