Disney showed a real lightsaber live

During the South by Southwest (SXSW) tech, film and music festival one was presented vera spada laser as seen in the Star Wars movies. The lightsaber was presented by Josh D’Amarothe president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts before the audience.

The Star Wars lightsaber presented by Disney

“I have the best job in the world. I’m holding a real lightsaber.” These are the words of the president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Josh D’Amaro in front of a large audience.

Several Twitter users have pointed to an alleged patent for this version of the device, filed by Disney. According to the patent, the “sword device with internally illuminated retractable blade” uses motors to unwind a “blade”. It is filled with a strip of flexible lights hidden inside its handle.

“The device includes two long plastic half-cylinders. These two elements of the blade body are coiled perpendicular to their length, which creates compact cylinders of small volume material that can be supplied on a pair of coils in a hilt”, is what is explained in the patent.

“To extend the blade, a motor provided in the hilt unwinds the blade body elements from the coils. Each member of the blade body passes through a guide that forms the blade which nests the semi-cylindrical blade body members together as they leave the hilt. To retract the blade, the process is reversed.”

When will it go on sale?

The lightsaber is used in shows at Disney World, but it is not currently on public sale. Due to problems of safety, and probably a whole host of other equally important concerns, the lightsaber won’t go on sale. However, an amateur YouTuber has created a retractable working lightsaber, making it into the Guinness Book of World Records last year.

His name is Alex Burkanwho runs the Alex Lab YouTube channel, and created a device capable of producing a 1 meter long plasma blade when ignited. The blade reaches 2,800 degrees Celsius and can even cut through steel.

“The key component of my lightsaber is a electrolyser“, Burkan explained to Guinness World Records. “An electrolyser is a device that can generate enormous amounts of hydrogen and oxygen and compress the gas to any pressure without a mechanical compressor.”