As we enter a new year, we at LaserMotive would like to take a few moments to review some of the highlights of the past year as well as look at where we are heading in the upcoming year.

Our most important milestone as a company in the past year was joining NASA’s “Ride the Light” project. “Ride the Light” marks our first major commercial contract to develop laser power beaming as a power source for vehicles – and with NASA no less! This project will impact our future for some time to come, too.

In addition to the “Ride the Light” project, other highlights of 2011 include:

• Another hugely successful exhibit of our technology at SPIE, including a whole exhibit space devoted to our historic free-flying quadrocopter flight at the Future of Flight Aviation Center.
• Presentation at “NASA Day on the Hill,” where we were the only private company invited by NASA to have a display booth.
• One of the key presenters at the Space Power Workshop being held in Los Angeles. LaserMotive’s Tom Nugent spoke on “Transitioning Power Beaming from Terrestrial to Satellite Applications” before this crowd of satellite power experts, which featured speakers from the leading space technology organizations in the public and private sectors.
• Major media coverage ranging from Fox News to Photonics Online.

In 2012, we will continue to pursue additional contracts – details of which we can’t discuss at present but will be sure to share when the time comes. In addition, we’re looking at the possibility of more and expanded demonstrations of our laser power beaming wireless recharging systems. We’ll let you know as we get closer and details are finalized.

Here’s to a successful and prosperous 2012!

Is there anything you’ve ever wanted to know about lasers or laser power beaming but have been afraid to ask (or did not know who to ask)? Now is your opportunity to find out! Send in your questions about lasers, laser power beaming, and more for our new FAQ page on the LaserMotive website.

Some questions you may see answered in the upcoming weeks include:

- What does “laser” stand for?
- Who came up with the first concept of laser power beaming?
- What exactly is laser power beaming?
- Why is laser power beaming important?

Submit your questions to faqs@lasermotive.com and we’ll do our best to answer them!

With the holiday season well underway, we want to take the time to wish all our friends, family, followers and customers a very happy holiday. Whether you celebrate the festival of lights, decorate an evergreen tree or something in between, we wish you and yours the very best this season. Your support has helped us in our efforts to bring our slogan into reality: “Power on a Beam of Light.” We’ll have more to report in the New Year!

In recent weeks, LaserMotive has announced several important milestones that we see as significant, both in the long term development of LaserMotive as well as in the development of laser power beaming as a technology. In particular, two are of special importance. The first, an investment from the Space Angels Network, an angel investment group specializing in space technology, provides validation from the financial community of the business rationale for laser power beaming as a commercial enterprise. Coming shortly after that was our selection as one of the companies to work on the NASA “Ride The Light” space technology project designed to develop technology to enable future missions. Both of these offer tangible proof that laser power beaming is moving from the realm of esoteric science to practical reality. There still is much to be done to bring the full impact of laser power beaming into the mainstream. However, with these two developments we’ve achieved key milestones that demonstrate that laser power beaming is more than just for academics — it is now on its way to becoming commercial reality.

LaserMotive is pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate its wireless power technology next week at the NASA Day on the Hill. This annual event is open to the public as well as to Congress, but the presenters (such as LaserMotive) are by invitation only. Most of the presenters are from NASA or NASA contractors. However, LaserMotive is just one of two companies presenting that are not NASA contractors, making this honor extra special. The NASA Day on the Hill exhibits highlight’s NASA’s Earth and space science portfolio, cutting-edge aeronautics research and technology development and continued leadership in human space flight and exploration.

We’ll be providing more details next week!

UPDATE: Here is our press release.

As blogged earlier, LaserMotive met with a number of media during SPIE last month, including Photonics Online, one of the leading publications covering laser technology. This week, Photonics Online editorial director Jim Pomager, who met with LaserMotive during the Conference, has informed us that LaserMotive will be featured in a DSS special edition newsletter that will be sent out today. This includes both video of LaserMotive at the show as well as a write up in their Day 2 Technology Report where the company is referred to as “perhaps the most popular booth in the DSS exhibit hall.”

As part of our presence at SPIE’s Defense, Security & Sensing conference and trade show, LaserMotive was interviewed by the local Fox TV affiliate WOFL on the topic of laser power beaming. Company president Tom Nugent spoke with WOFL’s reporter. The station also shot footage of the various electric helicopters and aircraft on display, including the fully functioning laser powered micro helicopter.

“Laser power beaming continues to gain awareness, both with industry professionals as well as the public,” says Tom, “and the interest in the general news media at this level helps confirm this.”

In addition to WOFL, LaserMotive had meetings with select trade media during the Exhibition, including Photonics Online and Unmanned Vehicles Magazine. We’ll post more as coverage comes out.

This week, LaserMotive will be one of the presenters at the Space Power Workshop being held in Los Angeles. This annual workshop, now in its 29th year, is designed to provide an informal, unclassified, international forum for the exchange of ideas and information on space power. LaserMotive’s Tom Nugent will be speaking on “Transitioning Power Beaming from Terrestrial to Satellite Applications” before this illustrious crowd, which features speakers from the leading space technology organizations including top tier aerospace companies, universities, military groups, and national labs. The presentation (co-authored with Dr. Jordin Kare) will be Wednesday in the “Advanced Concepts” session. Other Space Power Workshop sessions will include Program Experience, Power Systems Architecture, Power Management and Distribution (PMAD), Energy Generation, Energy Storage and Theme Session. LaserMotive is delighted to be part of this great event!

At LaserMotive, we’re busy with preparations for our presence at the SPIE Defense, Security and Sensing Conference in Orlando at the end of the month. This is our first time exhibiting at the Conference, which is the largest unclassified event of this type for the defense, security and environment industries, and will give us the opportunity to meet with many of the leaders in these markets. We can’t tell you everything we’ll be showcasing there quite yet, but look for this to include an updated demonstration model of a remote controlled tethered helicopter, based on our earlier design created for AUVSI back in August. We’ll also have some space devoted to our record-breaking free-flying quadrocopter flight. Please plan to check in for updates from the Conference starting April 26th!

At LaserMotive, we have an amazing team of individuals working to make our vision happen.  Since LaserMotive is a start-up, many of them have worn multiple hats — holding high-level full time jobs, or even running their own companies — while also working for LaserMotive.  In the upcoming weeks, we will be profiling various team members, starting with Steve Burrows.

As mechanical designer and fabrication/machining expert for Team LaserMotive, Steve Burrows is one of the quintessential examples of the manpower behind LaserMotive.  Not only is he a prime technology contributor to LaserMotive but he is a technology entrepreneur, serving as President of Puget Sound based Twintec(www.twintecinc.com).  At Twintec, the company makes multiple tube quick disconnects for various industries, including semiconductor factories. Steve has built up an incredible resume working on LaserMotive’s entries in the NASA-sponsored Power Beaming Competition, including designing and building the 2007 lifter drive mechanism as well as designing and building the structure for the 2009 climber, Otis, along with the PV cell rails, numerous components and support devices and systems, such as optic mounts.

Steve has had a long passion for laser power beaming, and first became interested in it when he read about it from an article in Scientific American a long time ago.  He became acquainted with LaserMotive after conversing online with Tom Nugent on a forum discussing Space Elevators, and then joined the team in 2006 to work on the winning entry for the NASA Centennial Challenge for Power Beaming.

What is one of the most rewarding things for Steve about working with LaserMotive? “Working with my highly intelligent and driven colleagues,” he says. “Hard work is fun when involved in an important project with geniuses.”  When not working at LaserMotive or Twintec, Steve spends time on his hobby: “Driving my car much faster than would be considered prudent.”