TOPIC: What will be the next saber industry revolution?

All that sounds pretty awesome, but i would love to se advances on the blades. Whith v4 we fixed problems with impact (tip flying off, blade dreaking, scratches and marks....) but... what about some kind of blade thats easier to transport or travel with? something retractable or sectional, that actualy could resist impacts for use or dueling.

I've said this one before and I'll say it again, even though it has more to do with general saber revolution than just saber industry.

I can foresee a world where the common man traverses the streets with a lightsaber clipped to his belt. Though guns are still a thing, a public dispute with someone would be dealt with in a public duel between the two people. Problems would be solved by skill with a saber rather than how much money you pay your lawyer. It would be like the days of the samurai, days of honor.

I've said my piece.

Eddlyss64 wrote:
Except Congress would never ratify a revision of the 6th Amendment like this. The justice system would be murdered; everyone's right fair trial would be dissolved due to the tyranny of the elite duelists. Not to mention that veryone who carries polycarbonate sabers would be dominated by people with guns which are protected by the 2nd Amendment.

SithLordLim wrote:
Suddenly I want to crawl into a hole and hide. Good Lord, you're right in so many ways.

Eddlyss64 wrote:
2nd Amendment FTW

SithLordLim wrote:
Suddenly I want to crawl into a hole and hide. Good Lord, you're right in so many ways.

I've been thinking on this topic for a bit, and while not everybody might want this, I'd love it (if it could work).

One small thing that has bugged me about both the toys and prop/replica lightsabers I've had is that the sound comes from the bottom of the hilt, when the thing that is making the sound (i.e. the blade) is at the top. Now I know this is due to wiring logistics, resonance, and the size of the speakers required for quality sound needing space (which in the case of most high quality sabers, nearly the ID of the hilt itself).

Now my idea is for a speaker that is just small enough to be able to be placed higher up in saber (like near the LED or the upper part of a crystal chamber) that wires for other things could be run around it without interference (perhaps through holes in the edges of the speaker holder), but still be able to deliver the same power and sound quality. Small sound holes could be discreetly hidden in the hilt ( or even used in the design, like a crystal chamber), and the pommel still could be vented as well. Heck the speaker in my Graflex 2.0 on full volume, which is pressed up against the pommel, still manages to push a significant amount of air (and thus sound) out of any openings in the hilt (like the extra grip holes the clamp hides). So much so I had to drop the volume down by 50%.

There are probably already speakers that fit this bill out there in size, power, and quality, but they're probably not common place enough that they'd be a good option for saber building.

I'm only just getting started with lighting design in new/renovated buildings, but I can say that LED's are definitely in demand. Energy efficient, easily controlled, small, and exceptionally bright, they make some terrific light fixtures. This means several things- better individual LEDs will be developed, better methods of dissipating heat will be discovered, and better diffusers to evenly distribute the rather focused lights from LEDs will be researched. Essentially, both the LEDs and the blades themselves will be better.

The best sign of this coming is that GE recently announced that they will discontinue their lines of fluorescent bulbs in the US and focus solely on LED lighting by 2017. Once they throw their full weight behind LED research things should develop at least a bit faster, and hopefully more people will be driven to retrofit the new fixtures (decreasing demand for flourescents, decreasing the costs of LEDs, and driving more R&D towards LEDs).

=Ottomatix= wrote:
^ This.

Snakeeyz99 wrote:
Agree.

I don't think Bluetooth is that big a deal. A saber is all about the hilt design (within SF's control), the LED brightness and sound, which mean an efficient energy source for maximum output (light and sound volume) are the very core of further development. Bluetooth is a "creature comfort" feature that doesn't add to a saber when it is in full use (i.e. switched on in your hands as a saber).