Learn · TED

Talk6 min

Will laser blasters ever be possible?

Christopher Baird · TED

Watch At TED

About

A fleet of rebel spaceships is greeted by a frenzy of laser blasts – illuminating the sector with brilliant bursts of light. Science fiction has shown us scenes like this for decades, but the lasers in our daily lives seem far less dazzling and destructive. So, could sci-fi laser weaponry ever exist? And how do lasers even work in the first place? Christopher Baird investigates. [Directed by Igor Ćorić, Artrake Studio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Cem Misirlioglu, Brooks Ball].

The talk

  1. Will laser blasters ever be possible? 6 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Christopher Baird
Year
2026
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Literature and writing, Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed