Lazier Laser

The laser is the one with a big red arrow pointing at it with the word "Laser"

Inspiration

Looking around at the younger generations can be saddening. Everyone is so attached to their phones, needing to be connected. Needing to update their status, needing to update their followers, needing to send questionable images on SnapChat. Being so connected can remove you from reality and all that it has to offer. If we'd just put down our phones for only a moment, we'd all see how awesome lasers are. They're like seriously cool.

What it does

So we set out trying to make a file transfer mechanism that sends files via lasers. I know, COOL, RIGHT? Well, that didn't really work so we ended up making an instant messaging platform via lasers. Until that didn't work either so we made a "one-way, only really short sentences" transmitter via lasers.

How we built it

Lasers.

Challenges we ran into

Turns out laser based file transfers are not as practical as you'd think. A+ for style points, but it takes about a minute to send a word. And the receiver has to at least be within a line of sight and close enough that light dispersion doesn't affect the goods. There were so many challenges to this one. Syncing the clocks are a nightmare, reading and writing out of the same serial port is tough and Arduinos have less memory than that fish from Finding Nemo that has difficulties remembering things... what's her name again?