Video: 1 Watt Pocket Blue Laser Beam from Eiffel Tower

[Petacat]

Edit Statement- We should use great care that must be used with this new 445nm technology that has been made available to us.

 

[Netscott]

IMHO This thread demonstrates the great care that must be used with this new 445nm technology that has been made available to us. Even for thoses that think they know what they are doing. Never point a laser at any-any living thing no matter how far away it may be ! I strongly belive in your right to own and do anything you want, just don't point it at the rest of us or put it in our face:beer:

Fortunately competent authorities do not share the same view about shining lasers on people. With proper permitting it is legal to do audience scanning at proper power levels in virtually any place in the world (cite: ILDA - A Complete Guide to Laser Shows: Audience Scanning). If people are keen to criticize me here then please do so on valid points: 1. I should have gotten a permit to shine my laser from the Eiffel Tower and 2: passers by should not be subject to unexpected beaming regardless of whether the laser operation is safe or not.
Those are valid criticisms. Arguments I may have against them are going to tend to be weak.

-Scott

 

[DTR]

You may think you have accounted for all the variables but you are taking that chance with someone else's vision and that is not right.

 

[Netscott]

You may think you have accounted for all the variables but you are taking that chance with someone else's vision and that is not right.

Please, by all means explain what this chance was that was risked?
Please develop your argument with meaningful (and citable if necessary) valid points.
I am not dismissing your concerns but I would like to understand your reasoning behind them better.
I have explained the reasoning that went into the safety considerations that I exercised in going forward with recording this video. Have you found fault in my reasoning?

Thanks,

-Scott

 

[ZapU]

There were no traffic bearing roads within 30 to 40 meters of the circle where I was shining the laser so no vehicles were hit even in passing. What appears to be roads alongside where the camera was positioned on the map are in fact access dirt roads that are used for walking and occasional park maintenance vehicle traffic.

If people reading this thread haven't determined already from my responses here that what I did in making this video was carefully considered, planned and executed then nothing I explain additionally is going to make that clear.

-Scott

I appreciate the care you took during this. I doubt anyone was in danger.

The straight on view was just a great example of of the effect if it was aimed at a car or aircraft.

 

[Netscott]

I appreciate the care you took during this. I doubt anyone was in danger.

The straight on view was just a great example of of the effect if it was aimed at a car or aircraft.

I couldn't agree more about cars and aircraft. Whenever I am talking to people about my laser usage I make a point of strongly emphasizing to not shine them at people and especially to not shine them at aircraft and automobiles (IMHO most people are unfortunately clueless and just shine them at aircraft out of boredom and curiosity).

-Scott

 

[DTR]

Please, by all means explain what this chance was that was risked?
Please develop your argument with meaningful (and citable if necessary) valid points.
I am not dismissing your concerns but I would like to understand your reasoning behind them better.
I have explained the reasoning that went into the safety considerations that I exercised in going forward with recording this video. Have you found fault in my reasoning?

Thanks,

-Scott

I actually can't see the picture here at work but according to X-Fly you hit somebody with your beam so I will retract if he was wrong. But I don't believe it is that is responsible to shine a laser that can hit someone at any range may it be 5 feet to 50 miles with a 10mW to 50W laser.

 

[Netscott]

I actually can't see the picture here at work but according to X-Fly you hit somebody with your beam so I will retract if he was wrong. But I don't believe it is that is responsible to shine a laser that can hit someone at any range may it be 5 feet to 50 miles with a 10mW to 50W laser.

I took your 'risk' comment to essentially mean the risk we all take in our day-to-day lives (ie: driving is much more dangerous than taking a flight). Even the most well thought out, legal, permitted and 100% coordinated plan can develop a fault. There truly are some things that are beyond our control, I accept that. My point was that beyond the criticisms I illustrated above (which include your point about beaming people) what I did was not too unreasonable.

-Scott

 

[Cyparagon]

Don't point lasers at people - even with a keychain. Even if you ignore all the safety/legal issues, did you ever occur to you that it's very distracting and just plain annoying?

 

[Netscott]

Don't point lasers at people - even with a keychain. Even if you ignore all the safety/legal issues, did you ever occur to you that it's very distracting and just plain annoying?

Sorry have you actually read this thread? Please go back and read it ENTIRELY then bring your criticism.

Thanks,

-Scott

 

[Benm]

Ah well, whats annoying... since they turned the entire eiffel tower into a big flashing lightshow, one laser extra doesnt make that much of a difference - its ruined anyway

You do have to be careful with the people though, even if they are a kilometer away, 1 watt is a heck of a lot of power. It would be best to slightly unfocus the laser, such that you will not be able to exceed MPE at ground level. I think the video would look pretty much the same if you did.

 

[Netscott]

Ah well, whats annoying... since they turned the entire eiffel tower into a big flashing lightshow, one laser extra doesnt make that much of a difference - its ruined anyway

You do have to be careful with the people though, even if they are a kilometer away, 1 watt is a heck of a lot of power. It would be best to slightly unfocus the laser, such that you will not be able to exceed MPE at ground level. I think the video would look pretty much the same if you did.

For all intents and purposes the laser I used has the same specs as Wicked Lasers' Spyder Arctic III. For a 0.25 sec exposure (essentially the time it would take a person to blink or look away) the Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance (NOHD) is 222 meters for the Arctic. This rating is for a laser that has 1 mRad (which is being generous) when in reality these casio diode lasers likely have closer to 1.5 mRad. So what that means is that if I were to shine the laser directly down from the top of the 300 meter Eiffel tower a person directly below would have over 0.25 sec to naturally react and avert their gaze to avoid ocular hazard. Bear in mind that I never shined the laser anywhere near the base of the tower and never held it in a steady position for more than 0.25 sec and you begin to see that the potential danger to anyone's vision was nil. As was already explained earlier in this thread, I took pains to plan and make this recording to limit as much as possible the potential of affecting members of the general public in the area, even at the level of simple annoyance.

Thanks,

-Scott

 

[kiyoukan]

Ehh dont worry.
Great video
Was a good watch.
Just ignore the ball busters.
I have seen much worse at clubs with projectors.

 

[Prototype]

Fortunately competent authorities do not share the same view about shining lasers on people. With proper permitting it is legal to do audience scanning at proper power levels in virtually any place in the world (cite: ILDA - A Complete Guide to Laser Shows: Audience Scanning). If people are keen to criticize me here then please do so on valid points: 1. I should have gotten a permit to shine my laser from the Eiffel Tower and 2: passers by should not be subject to unexpected beaming regardless of whether the laser operation is safe or not.
Those are valid criticisms. Arguments I may have against them are going to tend to be weak.

-Scott

Good video. Citing the ILDA regs for audience scanning was a nice touch, but did you also know that you have to have your projector registered and metered to not exceed the MPE, have a barrier between the audience and the projector to keep them from being able to get close enough for the beam to exceed the MPE, have a failsafe inplace if a beam goes static due to some random failure? What if you had dropped your laser and there was 1W of 445nm light flashing wildly about until it hit the ground? What if some kid had stuck around up there and had darted out and tried to grab your laser? I'm not trying to be rude here, I think what you did was pretty neat, but I don't think it was very responsible, no matter how many precautions you take, because accidents happen. :beer:

 

[AUTO XX]

Ehh dont worry.
Great video
Was a good watch.
Just ignore the ball busters.
I have seen much worse at clubs with projectors.

Exactly.
Good video, hope your girlfriend was wearing goggles ^_^
I'd be more concerned about some idiot cop taking the laser away.

 

[Netscott]

Good video. Citing the ILDA regs for audience scanning was a nice touch, but did you also know that you have to have your projector registered and metered to not exceed the MPE, have a barrier between the audience and the projector to keep them from being able to get close enough for the beam to exceed the MPE, have a failsafe inplace if a beam goes static due to some random failure? What if you had dropped your laser and there was 1W of 445nm light flashing wildly about until it hit the ground? What if some kid had stuck around up there and had darted out and tried to grab your laser? I'm not trying to be rude here, I think what you did was pretty neat, but I don't think it was very responsible, no matter how many precautions you take, because accidents happen. :beer:

Thank you (and the others on this thread) who've made compliments.
Yes, those issues were considered as well. The particular laser I used for this demonstration is not a clicker style but rather momentary, it would not have had 1 watt of optical power flashing about wildly because the moment it would leave my hand it would shut off. I had it built by jayrob as a momentary specifically for video production purposes (he'll confirm that if you ask him). To be honest with you there'd be more potential danger from the handheld laser possibly falling on someone's head as in both places where I used the laser there were structures of the tower lower than the laser. More likely than it falling on a person (given that it was cold that night and the tower was virtually empty as I was there at the last possible moment) it would've fallen on a lower section and been structurally obliterated rendering it effectively 'safe' from a 'lost-and-found' passerby standpoint. Regardless, in all cases I used the flashlight strap to prevent it from falling should I have lost my grip.
In both instances of laser usage there were no individuals in my immediate vicinity on any side. On the top because that side of the tower was subject to a very cold, strong and steady wind and on the bottom because that level of the tower was essentially empty at that hour. I am aware that requirements for laser audience scanning are very stringent essentially everywhere in the world but my point was not about that but more that the notion of never shining lasers at people does have its exceptions. I acknowledged that accidents happen already in this thread, in life this is a given.

Exactly.
Good video, hope your girlfriend was wearing goggles ^_^
I'd be more concerned about some idiot cop taking the laser away.

Thanks for the compliment.
No, my friend didn't need goggles because at 800 meters out there wasn't a particular need for them. As I already explained though, when planning on directing the laser at the camera I did direct her to shut her eyes to preserve her night vision and prevent them from being flashed.

-Scott