Dr. Kaku: BEAMS OF LIGHT WITH UNIMAGINABLE POWER,
HARNESSING THE RAW ENERGY OF THE LIGHTNING BOLT,
FUELED BY A MYSTERIOUS, INVISIBLE FORCE.
A SCIENCE-FICTION FANTASY?
OR THE DESIGN FOR A WORKING LIGHTSABER?
I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.
I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST AND A SCIENCE-FICTION FAN.
JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE SCI-FI SCIENCE.
THE LIGHTSABER -- A BLADE OF PURE ENERGY OF INCREDIBLE POWER.
IT'S THE MOST POPULAR MOVIE WEAPON EVER.
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT ITS GLOWING BLADE
AND DISTINCTIVE HUM THAT FASCINATES EVERYONE.
AND I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW TO BUILD ONE.
I NEED MY LIGHTSABER TO SATISFY THE TOUGHEST CRITICS OF ALL --
THE FANS WHO LIVE AND DREAM SCI-FI.
IT'S A SWORD. IT'S MADE OF LIGHT.
ESSENTIALLY, IT'S AN ENERGY SWORD.
IT CAN CUT THROUGH STONE, IT CAN CUT THROUGH WOOD.
IT MAKES A NOISE KIND OF LIKE...
[ HUMS ]
CUTTING THE AIR MOLECULES IN HALF.
A LIGHTSABER BLADE CAN CUT THROUGH ANYTHING,
SAVE ANOTHER LIGHTSABER BLADE.
[ IMITATES ELECTRICITY CRACKLING ]
IN THE FILMS, THE LIGHTSABER HAS ALMOST MAGICAL PROPERTIES.
BUILDING ONE WILL BE A MONUMENTAL TASK.
TO BEGIN, I'LL BREAK IT DOWN INTO ITS BASIC COMPONENTS.
FIRST, THE HANDLE --
BIG ENOUGH TO CONTAIN THE LIGHTSABER'S POWER SOURCE.
SECOND, THE BLADE.
IT'S A 3-FOOT-LONG LUMINOUS SHAFT
THAT CAN SLICE THROUGH ANY KNOWN SUBSTANCE.
THE BLADE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE WEAPON.
WORKING OUT HOW TO BUILD THAT
IS THE KEY TO CREATING A LIGHTSABER.
SCI-FI FANS ALREADY HAVE A CLEAR IDEA
OF WHAT IT WOULD BE MADE OF.
A LIGHTSABER IS A WEAPON
THAT IS BASICALLY LIKE A LASER THAT STOPS.
A LASER SWORD.
...OF INTENSE HEAT.
WELL, THAT'S THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM, AND IT'S A NEAT IDEA.
LASERS THAT CAN CUT THROUGH INCH-THICK STEEL
ARE NOT SOME IMPOSSIBLE FANTASY.
LASERS ARE JUST PARTICLES OF LIGHT
THAT HAVE BEEN FORCED TO MARCH IN STEP.
THE MORE ENERGY YOU PUMP INTO THEM, THE STRONGER THEY BECOME.
SO, IN THEORY, THERE'S NO LIMIT
TO THE POWER A LASER LIGHTSABER COULD WIELD.
THE FIRST STEP TO MAKING MY LASER LIGHTSABER
IS GENERATING THE BEAM.
I NEED TO SHOOT ENERGY
THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED A LASING MATERIAL.
I NEED SOMETHING THAT'S BOTH STRONG AND SMALL ENOUGH
TO FIT INTO THE HANDLE OF MY LIGHTSABER.
INSIDE OF A LIGHTSABER CONTAINS SOME WEIRD ENERGY SOURCE
THAT SCIENCE HAS YET TO DISCOVER.
I BELIEVE IT GETS POWER
FROM SOME KIND OF CRYSTALS OR SOMETHING THAT'S INSIDE IT.
IT'S A CRYSTAL, I BELIEVE, THAT GENERATES THE ACTUAL BLADE.
IN THE "STAR WARS" MOVIES,
THE JEDI HAD TO TRAVEL TO THE PLANET ILUM
TO FIND THE MYSTERIOUS CRYSTAL
THEY NEEDED FOR THEIR LIGHTSABERS.
BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO JOURNEY TO OUTER SPACE TO HARVEST CRYSTALS.
HERE AT THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, WHERE I WORK,
WE GROW OUR OWN.
CRYSTALS MAKE IDEAL LASING MATERIALS.
THEY'RE STRONG, HEAT-RESISTANT, AND VERY LIGHT.
THEY'LL EASILY FIT INTO THE HANDLE OF A LIGHTSABER.
JUST ONE OF THESE HOME-GROWN CRYSTALS
A QUARTER OF AN INCH ACROSS
CAN GENERATE THIS 1-GIGAWATT LASER BEAM.
YOU'D THINK A LASER WOULD MAKE AN IDEAL LIGHTSABER.
I COULD PACK A CRYSTAL INTO THE HANDLE, PUMP IN ENOUGH POWER,
AND THE LASER COULD CUT THROUGH PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING.
BUT WHATEVER THE SCI-FI FANS THINK,
IT WOULDN'T BE THE ELEGANT WEAPON I WANT TO BUILD.
LIGHT JUST CAN'T BE SOLIDIFIED INTO A BLADE.
WHEN TWO LASER BEAMS CROSS EACH OTHER,
THEY SIMPLY PASS RIGHT THROUGH.
THE BLADES WOULDN'T CLASH LIKE IN "STAR WARS."
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO PARRY YOUR OPPONENT'S BLADE.
ALSO, IF YOU USE A LASER BEAM IN SUNLIGHT
OR YOU SIMPLY TURN ON THE LIGHTS,
THE LASER BEAM BECOMES INVISIBLE.
AND WHAT GOOD IS A LIGHTSABER YOU CAN'T SEE?
BUT EVEN IF I COULD FIND SOLUTIONS
TO THESE DESIGN FAULTS,
I THINK A LASER LIGHTSABER WOULD HAVE A MORE BASIC FLAW.
IT MIGHT SLICE MY OPPONENT IN HALF,
BUT IT COULD DESTROY ME, AS WELL.
EVEN THOUGH LIGHT CAN CARRY ENERGY,
IT HAS NO SUBSTANCE OR MASS.
LIGHT GENERATED ON EARTH JUST FLIES OFF INTO SPACE
AND KEEPS ON GOING FOREVER.
AND WHEN THE LIGHT IS PART OF A POWERFUL LASER BEAM,
IT WILL BURN RIGHT THROUGH ANYTHING THAT GETS IN ITS WAY.
I WOULDN'T WANT TO FIGHT A LASER-LIGHTSABER DUEL INSIDE.
THE BLADES OF THE SABERS WOULD GO ON INDEFINITELY,
CUTTING THROUGH ANYTHING IN THEIR PATH.
I MIGHT BRING THE BUILDING CRASHING DOWN ON TOP OF MYSELF.
EVEN MY SPACESHIP IN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH
COULD BE AT RISK.
[ THUD ]
SCI-FI FANS AREN'T GONNA BE TOO IMPRESSED WITH MY LIGHTSABER
IF IT WREAKS THAT KIND OF HAVOC.
I NEED TO FIND A WAY OF MAKING THE LASER LIGHTSABER
A NICE, NEAT 3 FOOT LONG.
BUILDING A LASER LIGHTSABER SEEMS LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE GOAL,
BUT SOME CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE MIGHT JUST HAVE AN ANSWER.
AND IT MIGHT SURPRISE EVEN EINSTEIN.
SCIENTISTS HERE AT THE HARVARD SMITHSONIAN
ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING
THAT WOULD TIE EINSTEIN'S BRAIN IN KNOTS.
IT SOUNDS RIGHT OUT OF THE PAGES OF A SCI-FI NOVEL,
AND IT COULD MAKE A LIGHTSABER BLADE A REALITY.
AT FIRST, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'VE MANAGED TO BREAK
ONE OF EINSTEIN'S RULES ABOUT HOW LIGHT BEHAVES.
I'M USING THIS SCOPE TO GET A GLIMPSE
OF A NORMALLY INVISIBLE BEAM OF INFRARED LIGHT
TRAVELING THROUGH A TEST TUBE FULL OF GAS.
RON WALSWORTH IS ONE OF THE SCIENTISTS
BEHIND THIS AMAZING PIECE OF WORK.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE A PULSE OF LIGHT, LASER LIGHT,
BRING IT INTO A CHAMBER OF ATOMS,
HOLD IT FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND, AND THEN LET IT GO.
RON TALKS ABOUT IT SO MATTER-OF-FACTLY,
AS IF STOPPING LIGHT WERE AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE.
IN FACT, IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.
AND IT WOULD SEEM TO BREAK THE RULES.
LIGHT IS THE FASTEST PHENOMENON IN THE UNIVERSE
AND BECAUSE IT MOVES SO FAST AND HAS NO MASS,
IT SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO BOTTLE IT UP.
IT CAN BE ABSORBED, REFRACTED, REFLECTED,
OR JUST PASSED THROUGH AN OBJECT.
IT CAN BE SLOWED DOWN.
BUT UNTIL NOW, WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE
TO STOP LIGHT AND HOLD IT IN ONE PLACE,
AND THAT'S WHAT I NEED TO DO TO MAKE A LASER LIGHTSABER BLADE.
RON AND HIS TEAM
HAVE DONE SOMETHING THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN NATURALLY.
THEY FIRE PHOTONS OF LASER LIGHT
INTO A CONTAINER FULL OF GAS ATOMS.
A GAS ATOM GRABS THE LIGHT, PULLS IT FOR AN INSTANT,
AND THEN PASSES IT TO THE NEXT ATOM.
SOME EXPERIMENTS
HAVE STOPPED THE LIGHT FOR MORE THAN A SECOND.
IN THEORY, MAKING A LASER LIGHTSABER,
WHERE THE BLADE STOPS AT EXACTLY 3 FEET LONG,
IS POSSIBLE.
THERE'S NOTHING VIOLATING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS HERE.
WE'RE JUST EXPLOITING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS,
THE LAWS OF QUANTUM MECHANICS, AND RELATIVITY.
Dr. Kaku: STOPPING LIGHT IS A MARVELOUS TECHNOLOGY.
IMAGINE A LIGHTSABER MADE OUT OF PURE SOLID LIGHT.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE PROBLEMS.
FOR THE SWORD TO REALLY WORK,
I'D HAVE TO FIND SOME WAY OF CONTAINING THE GAS ATOMS
I NEED TO STOP THE LASER.
A LASER LIGHTSABER BLADE THAT COULD CUT THROUGH ANYTHING
WOULD HAVE TO BE AROUND 12,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THAT KIND OF HEAT
WOULD TURN THE GAS INTO A SUPER-HOT PLASMA --
WHAT STARS AND LIGHTNING BOLTS ARE MADE OF.
SO, THE LASER WOULDN'T BE STOPPED AT ALL.
I'D END UP WITH A NEVER-ENDING LASER BEAM
WITH AN UNCONTROLLABLE LIGHTNING BOLT
JUST ABOVE THE HANDLE.
EVEN YODA WOULD HAVE PROBLEMS WIELDING THAT.
WHATEVER THE SCI-FI FANS THINK,
THE LASER LIGHTSABER IS A NO-GO.
BUT IT DOES GIVE ME AN IDEA.
IF I COULD TAME THAT SUPER-HOT PLASMA,
IT MIGHT MAKE AN IDEAL BLADE FOR MY LIGHTSABER.
THEY HAVEN'T GOT A LIGHTSABER AT THIS BROOKLYN BODY SHOP,
BUT THEIR PLASMA TORCH CAN SLICE THROUGH STEEL.
[ THUNDER CRASHES ]
PLASMA IS PRETTY WEIRD STUFF.
IT'S NOT A LIQUID OR A SOLID OR A GAS.
IT'S KNOWN AS THE FOURTH STATE OF MATTER.
THIS PLASMA TORCH HAS THE ENERGY OF A MINI LIGHTNING BOLT.
IT CAN HEAT GAS TO THOUSANDS OF DEGREES
BEYOND THE MELTING POINT OF STEEL,
AND IT ONLY USES AIR AND ELECTRICITY.
FOR ALL THESE REASONS,
I THINK IT MIGHT MAKE AN IDEAL COMPONENT FOR MY LIGHTSABER.
TO CREATE IT, YOU BEGIN WITH A GAS.
THIS TORCH USES THE OXYGEN IN ORDINARY AIR AS FUEL.
THE AIR IS PUMPED ALONG THIS TUBE,
SUPERHEATED, AND THEN IONIZED.
THIS CHANGES THE MAKEUP OF THE ATOMS,
RELEASING A LOT OF ENERGY
AND CREATING A KIND OF CHARGED-UP GAS CLOUD,
OR A PLASMA.
VISITING THE BODY SHOP HAS GOT ME THINKING.
THAT PLASMA TORCH THAT WE JUST SAW, I THINK,
IS THE KERNEL OF A LIGHTSABER.
THAT PLASMA TORCH CONSUMED ABOUT 2,700 WATTS OF POWER.
THAT'S ABOUT THE POWER OF TWO HOUSEHOLDS.
NOW, SCALE THAT UP TO 1,000, SEVERAL THOUSAND,
THE ENERGY OUTPUT OF MAYBE A SMALL CITY,
AND THEN YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT THE ENERGY NECESSARY FOR A LIGHTSABER --
SOMETHING THAT CAN SLICE THROUGH ALMOST ANY KNOWN SUBSTANCE,
SOMETHING THAT WILL BE VERSATILE
AS A WEAPON THAT COULD BE USED IN BATTLE.
A 3-FOOT-LONG, SUPERHEATED PLASMA TORCH
WOULD BE UNCONTROLLABLE AND VERY DANGEROUS.
BUT THERE'S A WAY TO CONTROL THE PLASMA
AND MAKE IT ANY SHAPE YOU WANT.
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW THAT WORKS, I'M USING THIS TOY.
IT'S FILLED WITH A LOW-TEMPERATURE,
NEON-GAS PLASMA.
IF I GOT THIS CLOSE TO A SUPERHEATED PLASMA,
IT WOULD BURN MY HAND OFF.
REMEMBER, THE PLASMA IS CREATED
WHEN THE ELECTRONS ARE FREED FROM THE ATOMS.
ELECTRONS BEND IN A MAGNETIC FIELD,
SO WATCH WHAT HAPPENS NOW WHEN I INSERT A MAGNET INTO THE PLASMA.
NOTICE THAT I CAN SHAPE AND MOLD THE PLASMA
TO OUR SPECIFICATIONS WITH THE MAGNETIC FIELD.
THAT'S HOW WE'RE GONNA BUILD A LIGHTSABER --
USING THE POWER OF MAGNETISM TO FOCUS AND MOLD THE PLASMA.
I NEED TO DO MORE, THOUGH.
IF I BUILD A GIANT PLASMA TORCH
AND CONTAIN IT IN A MAGNETIC FIELD,
IT WOULD JUST BE A CLOUD OF SUPERHEATED GAS.
SURE, IT WOULD BURN THINGS,
BUT IT WOULDN'T BE MUCH USE IN A FIGHT.
IT WOULDN'T CLASH WITH ANOTHER SWORD.
IT WOULDN'T REALLY BE A BLADE.
FOR THAT, WE NEED A SPECIAL DELIVERY SYSTEM.
WE NEED A WAY TO TAKE THE PLASMA
OUT OF THE HANDLE OF A LIGHTSABER
AND DISTRIBUTE IT EVENLY ALONG A 3-FOOT BLADE.
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.
A SUPER-HOT PLASMA WILL BURN THROUGH ALMOST ANYTHING,
EXCEPT PERHAPS A SPECIAL MATERIAL LIKE THIS.
THIS IS AN ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE IMAGE
OF A HIGH-TEMPERATURE CERAMIC MATERIAL.
IT COULD BE JUST WHAT I NEED FOR MY LIGHTSABER.
WE'RE GONNA PLACE THIS SUBSTANCE,
PERHAPS THE KEY INGREDIENT IN ANY FUTURE LIGHTSABER,
INTO THE FURNACE, ALONGSIDE A PIECE OF NICKEL,
WHICH IS COMMONLY FOUND IN COINS.
THEN WE'RE GONNA LOWER THE HOOD...
CRANK UP THE HEAT, AND THEN WE'LL WATCH WHAT HAPPENS.
THE OVEN'S MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IS 3,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT --
HOT ENOUGH TO MELT ALMOST ANY METAL.
REMEMBER THAT THE NICKEL USED TO BE IN THE SHAPE OF AN ARCH?
AND NOW IT'S COMPLETELY MELTED.
AND THE CERAMIC HAS SURVIVED
A BLISTERING TEMPERATURE OF 3,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
AND IT'S UNTOUCHED.
THE AMAZING HEAT-RESISTANT CAPACITY OF CERAMICS
MEANS THEY'RE EVEN USED
FOR ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT JOBS IN SPACE EXPLORATION --
PROTECTING SPACESHIPS
WHEN THEY RE-ENTER THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
BECAUSE OF THEIR UNIQUE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE,
THEY CAN WITHSTAND TEMPERATURES OF UP TO 4,000 DEGREES.
REMEMBER, THOUGH, MY LIGHTSABER
WILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO RESIST MUCH MORE HEAT THAN THAT.
IN ORDER TO CREATE A FUNCTIONING LIGHTSABER,
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CREATE A WHOLE NEW CLASS OF CERAMICS
THAT CAN WITHSTAND HIGH TEMPERATURES.
I'LL USE THIS MATERIAL TO BUILD A TELESCOPIC CERAMIC ROD
THAT WILL SHOOT OUT OF THE HANDLE OF THE LIGHTSABER.
THEN PLASMA WILL FLOW
ALONG THE INSIDE OF THE HEAT-RESISTANT ROD
AND OUT OF THE HOLES DRILLED INTO THE SURFACE.
IT'S LOOKING GOOD, BUT I STILL NEED A POWER SOURCE.
YOU NEED ABOUT 50 MEGAWATTS OF POWER IN ORDER TO HEAT
THE PLASMA TO THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.
AT THAT POINT,
YOU COULD SLICE THROUGH STEEL AS IF IT WERE BUTTER.
BUT FOR THAT, WE NEED A PORTABLE POWER PACK.
AND WHAT'S MORE --
ONE SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT INTO A 5-INCH-LONG HANDLE.
I'VE COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR A REAL WORKING LIGHTSABER.
ITS BLADE IS MADE OF SUPERHEATED PLASMA.
IT'LL SLICE THROUGH ANYTHING, BUT I HAVE ONE BIG PROBLEM.
I NEED A STAGGERING AMOUNT OF POWER, 15 MEGAWATTS --
ENOUGH TO LIGHT UP A SMALL TOWN.
A LIGHTSABER IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS POWER SOURCE.
IN THE HANDLE, THERE'S GOING TO BE A POWER SOURCE
AND CONTROLS ON THE OUTSIDE.
IT NEEDS A HELL OF A CELLPHONE CHARGER.
A CHARGER OR, LIKE I SAID, ONE BIG BATTERY.
A POWERFUL BATTERY, CERTAINLY --
ONE THAT CAN HEAT PLASMA TO 12,000 DEGREES.
BUT IT CAN'T BE BIG.
THERE SIMPLY ISN'T THE SPACE IN THE HANDLE.
IT'S A BIG PROBLEM, BUT I THINK
I MIGHT HAVE A SOLUTION ON A TINY ATOMIC SCALE.
JUST HOW TINY IS MIND-BLOWING.
IMAGINE YOU SCALE UP ONE HAIR ON MY HEAD
TO THE SIZE OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING,
THEN AN ATOM WOULD STILL ONLY BE THE SIZE
OF A SHEET OF PAPER LYING ON THE SIDEWALK.
WELL, THAT'S HOW BIG
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF MY POWER SOURCE WILL BE.
WELCOME TO THE NANO WORLD.
THIS IS A CARBON NANOTUBE.
IT'S MADE FROM A STRING OF INDIVIDUAL CARBON ATOMS.
THEY ARE INCREDIBLY STRONG, INCREDIBLY SMALL,
AND THEY COULD HOLD THE KEY TO BUILDING MY LIGHTSABER.
BRIAN WARDLE RESEARCHES NANOTUBES AT M.I.T.
ON THIS WAFER, WE HAVE PLACED CATALYST SEEDS,
AND THE NANOTUBES GROW FROM THE SEEDS.
BRIAN CAN SHOW ME HOW TO BUILD CARBON NANOTUBES,
BUT HE CAN'T TALK ABOUT HIS MAIN RESEARCH --
THE MILITARY APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.
THAT'S TOP SECRET.
BUT WE DID DISCUSS SCI-FI WEAPONS
AND HOW THE SYMMETRICAL WAY CARBON ATOMS STICK TOGETHER
COULD BE VERY USEFUL FOR POWERING MY LIGHTSABER.
LET'S SEE WHAT WE HAVE.
Dr. Kaku: THEY ARE EXTREMELY TINY.
A SINGLE CARBON NANOTUBE IS ONLY 50 ATOMS ACROSS.
THAT IS 20,000 TIMES SMALLER
THAN THE WIDTH OF A SINGLE HUMAN HAIR.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT CLOSE-UP OF A SINGLE NANOTUBE.
THE BUMPS YOU CAN SEE ARE THE INDIVIDUAL ATOMS.
IT'S PART OF A FOREST OF MILLIONS OF CARBON NANOTUBES.
BUT HOW DOES THIS HELP POWER MY LIGHTSABER?
WELL, CARBON NANOTUBES DO SOMETHING
THAT CARBON ITSELF DOESN'T USUALLY DO.
THEY CONDUCT ELECTRICITY.
THE UNIQUE SYMMETRICAL STRUCTURE OF THE NANOTUBE
MEANS THAT IT HAS METALLIC PROPERTIES.
INCREDIBLY,
IT CAN CONDUCT 1,000 TIMES MORE ELECTRICITY THAN COPPER.
SO YOU CAN MAKE A VERY BASIC BATTERY OUT OF THEM,
ONE THAT SIMPLY HOLDS A CHARGE BETWEEN TWO PLATES.
NOW, IMAGINE THAT, RATHER THAN TWO PLATES,
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TRILLIONS.
SO, THE BATTERY STORES
TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY ON EACH PLATE.
BUT IF YOU HAVE TRILLIONS OF THESE PLATES
ON A MOLECULAR SCALE,
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FANTASTIC AMOUNTS OF CHARGE.
YES, SO THAT'S THE IDEA -- VERY HIGH SURFACE AREAS
THAT CAN BE CREATED WITH NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS.
I COULD EASILY FIT TRILLIONS OF NANO BATTERIES
INTO THE HANDLE OF MY LIGHTSABER.
THEY'RE ONLY AN ATOM THICK.
MANUFACTURING THIS MANY MIGHT SOUND LIKE A TALL ORDER,
BUT IT TURNS OUT IT'S EASY TO GROW NANOTUBES.
YOU CAN IMAGINE THE SEED PARTICLE
BEING THE SIZE OF A SOCCER BALL.
WE'D HAVE A SOCCER PITCH OR A SOCCER FIELD
FULL OF THESE SOCCER BALLS.
THE NANOTUBES WOULD BE GROWING FROM THE SOCCER BALLS
VERY, VERY FAST -- IN EXCESS OF 100 KILOMETERS AN HOUR.
AND THEY WOULD GROW INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT
IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
SCIENTISTS STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND
WHY NANOTUBES GROW THE WAY THEY DO.
WHEN THEY HAVE UNCOVERED THE MYSTERY OF THEIR GROWTH,
THEY MAY WELL BE ABLE TO CREATE THE KIND OF BATTERIES
THAT I WILL NEED FOR MY LIGHTSABER.
THESE BATTERIES MIGHT BE ABLE TO DELIVER
THE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY
NECESSARY TO GENERATE AND CONTAIN A PLASMA.
NOW, SPACE WOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM.
WE CAN STORE LITERALLY MILES OF CARBON NANOTUBES
AND MOLECULAR BATTERIES INSIDE THE HILT OF A LIGHTSABER.
BUT IS MY DESIGN REALLY A LIGHTSABER?
I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY FROM SCI-FI.
I'M STARTING TO WONDER IF MY BLUEPRINT
WILL CONVINCE THE FANS.
I'M DESIGNING A LIGHTSABER RIGHT OUT OF "STAR WARS."
INCREDIBLY, MOST OF THE TECHNOLOGY WE NEED
IS HERE ALREADY.
IT JUST NEEDS UPGRADING.
I'M ABOUT TO REVEAL MY BLUEPRINTS
TO A GROUP OF SCI-FI FANS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THEY'RE GONNA MAKE OF MY PLANS, THOUGH.
[ APPLAUSE ]
THANK YOU.
TODAY, I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW TO BUILD A LIGHTSABER.
FIRST OF ALL, A LIGHTSABER HAS TO BE A PLASMA TORCH.
MY DESIGN IS BASED ON A BLADE MADE FROM SUPER-HOT PLASMA.
AT THE BASE OF THE LIGHTSABER'S HANDLE IS A TITANIUM FAN.
I SWITCH IT ON, AND 100 CUBIC FEET OF AIR PER SECOND
IS SUCKED INTO THE HILT,
WHERE IT IS SUPERHEATED TO CREATE A 12,000-DEGREE PLASMA.
YOU WOULDN'T WANT SUPERHEATED PLASMA DRIPPING ALL OVER YOU,
SO AN ELECTROMAGNETIC COIL WILL KEEP THE PLASMA IN CHECK.
AND THEN THE QUESTION IS,
EVEN IF YOU CONTAIN IT, WHAT HOLDS IT TOGETHER?
WHY DOESN'T THE WHOLE THING FALL APART?
AND THE ANSWER IS CERAMICS.
A TELESCOPIC CERAMIC ROD SHOOTS OUT OF THE HANDLE.
IT CAN RESIST THE BLISTERING TEMPERATURES
GENERATED BY THE PLASMA.
BUT THEN THE OTHER QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE ENERGIZE IT?
WHERE IS THE BATTERY? WHERE DOES THE ENERGY COME FROM?
AND WE SEE THAT THE ENERGY COMES FROM NANO BATTERIES.
INSIDE THE SABER'S HANDLE SIT TRILLIONS OF NANO BATTERIES,
POWERING THE PLASMA GENERATOR.
THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD BE WITH US IN LESS THAN 50 YEARS' TIME.
I GUESS I'M READY TO POWER UP AND HEAD INTO COMBAT.
THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT AND WIN A BATTLE AGAINST THE BAD GUYS.
THERE IT IS -- THE LIGHTSABER.
IT CAN CUT THROUGH PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING.
ITS ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD HUMS AND CRACKLES,
AND IT WILL CLASH IN A DUEL.
IT REALLY IS AN ELEGANT WEAPON FOR A MORE CIVILIZED AGE.
I THINK EVEN BEN KENOBI WOULD BE PROUD OF MY DESIGN.
BUT WHAT DO THE SCI-FI FANS THINK?
THE NANO BATTERY SEEMS LIKE
A REALLY INTERESTING USE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.
I'D BE CURIOUS TO SEE THE LIGHTSABER PUT TOGETHER.
I'D USE IT.
DEFINITELY LIKE THE LIGHTSABER DESIGN.
DEFINITELY LIKE TO BE ABLE TO CUT THROUGH THINGS
WHENEVER I WANTED. [ CHUCKLES ]
ACTUALLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING,
VERY COOL, VERY DIFFERENT.
IT'S GONNA TAKE 40, MAYBE 50 YEARS TO GET THIS NANO BATTERY.
[ SIGHS ] WHAT IS A GUY LIKE ME TO DO UNTIL THAT TIME?
[ LIGHTSABER HUMS ]