Laser cutters are among the most prized tools in the DIY world, complementing 3D printers almost perfectly. Still, there are times when an enthusiast has time and resources to spare, leading to strange and wonderful developments. In this case, Martin Raynsford took his laser cutter and turned it into a physical version of Space Invaders, unleashing a wave of photonic death on paper aliens with each game.
Space Invaders is beyond any presentation. A true legend of the genre, savior of the industry, example of simplicity and addiction of millions, it took the 1970s by assault, and even in this age of remakes and weak sequels we return to it looking for inspiration. Indeed, Space Invaders is the main element behind this project with a laser cutter. Raynsford explains that his cutter, a Whitetooth A1 with an 80W laser, received minimal alterations since he needs it to produce products for his online store. The project demanded four months of analysis and five nights of implementation, but the result is unique: Ladies and gentlemen... a physical version of Space Invaders.
The shields for the ship are made of a foam that resists shots, although the laser eventually pierces them. With the help of an Arduino Nano, Raynsford created a custom controller that responds to basic commands (left-right-fire) from a laptop. The player can watch the action through a webcam mounted on top of the cutter, and each alien is anchored to a small office clip. Determining the distance between aliens required some experimentation. As you can see in the second video, the first attempts registered a sort of nuclear effect that set fire to a good part of the enemy fleet with just one shot.
For a brief moment Raynsford thought about installing a rotating mirror behind the aliens, but with such a powerful laser, let's just say it's not a healthy option for the player at hand. Anyway, the word we're looking for is fantastic. Now, what we want to see is a similar edition of Galaxian and Galaga, combining a 3D printer and printing aliens we can set on fire.
