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Tech

Watch This Lightning-Fast Laser Create a Detailed Work of Art

Perfect precision in under three minutes.
Rachel Pick
New York, US

What if artists had powerful lasers at their disposal?

It's a question you've probably never asked yourself, but LasX's LightGuide software gives us some idea of the possibilities. The software allows you to upload a PDF design to guide a laser around a canvas—in this case, a blackboard.

The most incredible aspect of this demonstration is the speed at which the laser produces a perfect, M.C. Escher-like work of art, based on an illustration by LasX engineer Andy Gikling. This is due to LightGuide's ability to perform several processes in the same pass, including cutting, scoring, and perforating.

The software is meant to be used primarily in laser manufacturing, but it'd be fascinating to see what contemporary artists could do with this technology. Imagine Andy Warhol's entire legion of assistants, reduced to one machine. He'd have saved so much money on amphetamines.