Confirmed! Disney has made a 'real' lightsaber - see it in action
Yeah, we are definitely getting one of these.
Disney has made many a fans dream come true by creating its very own lightsaber.
The existence of this 'real' lightsaber is something that has been rumoured for a while now. While the weapon of choice for Jedis has plenty of toy replicas, a little while ago a new patent showed that Disney had gone one better and actually detailed just how it would make a safe, working lightsaber.
Then The Verge revealed that after a virtual presentation in April, the head of Disney Parks Josh D’Amaro seemed to whip out a lightsaber that worked, well, just like the ones in the movies retracting and everything.
Unfortunately D’Amaro's lightsaber wasn't caught on camera, but Disney fan and VR developer Ben Ridout has done a brilliant job of recreating how the lightsaber works, getting his information from a patent Disney filed back in 2018.
Did #Disney invent a real working #lightsaber?
Yes they did.
It won't melt through metal blast doors, or cut off your hand, but it does feature an illuminated blade that will extend and retract at the push of a button.
This animation shows the concept behind the tech. pic.twitter.com/e7fwP06CxF
— Ben Ridout (@benridout) April 12, 2021
In it, the lightsaber "retracts internally" thanks to a mechanism that moves a lit-up bit of tape up and down through the base of the thing. Yep, like a trusty ol' tape measure.
Ben does a much better job of explaining the technical logistics of the thing, so head to his Twitter account but it all pointed to Disney creating something that is even closer to every Star Wars fans dreams - a lightsaber that looks and really acts like a lightsaber.
And now we have a video of its existence. In a teaser for its upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser - an all-immersive, two-night vacation experience - we see someone use the thing.
It's just a glimpse but it looks fantastic - and, best of all, real - and you will be able to see it working when the Galactic Starcruiser event opens in 2022.
We are celebrating all things Star Wars this week, so head to our Star Wars hub for more Star Wars goodies.
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