A 500-watt laser called Zeus destroyed 98 per cent of anti-tank and
anti-personnel mines and unexploded mortar shells in only a few minutes, US Army
engineers found in recent field tests. The beam ignites the explosives by
heating the metal casings or burning through their plastic cases. The laser
head, about the size of a car engine, is mounted on top of an armoured military
vehicle. An operator fires the laser from a distance of 25 to 300 metres.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
3
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
4
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
5
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
6
I’m the first person whose life was saved by CRISPR base editing
7
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
8
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
9
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
10
The first quantum fluctuations set into motion a huge cosmic mystery
