Star Trek's phaser weapon could be coming to a squabble on a planet near you

Can Star Trek really point us towards the weapons of the future? The answer is yes. According to laser scientist and Trek fan, Dr. Rob Afzal. We're at the Lockheed Martin facility in [UNKNOWN] Washington, where we develop high-power lasers And I'm gonna take you into one of the typical laser development labs that we have here where we turn ideas into reality. This is where we would try stuff out, we have tools, test equipment. It's early thinking, this is where those initial ideas we begin to think them out, see how they can actually be turned into experiments. Measure the experiment and see if those ideas are real. Once that's proven out, we can then begin to engineer them into a solution. Engineer them into a device. [MUSIC] By combining laser beams using fiber optics, Rob can now increase their power output exponentially [MUSIC] A laser that we would develop for defensive purposes would be 1,000 to 100,000 times more powerful than this one. Rob's goal is to create a defensive weapon as powerful as Star Trek's phaser. So how could we actually make a phaser? Well when I look at a device like this, the first thing I think about is the energy, the power that's required to get the phaser effect. [SOUND] The next breakthrough would come from being able to store enough energy in a device like this so that you could project that beam and get your effect And how close is Rob to achieving this? Well take a look at this. You see the rocket launch. At this point the laser weapon system has to acquire the rocket, track it, put the high energy laser beam onto it. And that white spot there is an actual reflection of the high energy laser beam on the rocket over heating the war head causing it to explode. [NOISE] Tested on the firing Range. Lockheed Martin's prototype laser defense system is undergoing further development at the lab before deployment on the battlefield. [SOUND] [MUSIC] Before Rob came along the energy required to do this Required a generator the size of this or even this making it as mobile as your average gorn. [SOUND] But Rob Slater to announce small enough to be deployed on the battlefield for real. [SOUND] [MUSIC] So, as you can see the complete laser weapon system is been able to be carried on the back of a flat belly truck. Okay, so still not face your size. But Rob Not one to argue with. And of course it's very difficult to predict the future but I would never bet against science. [MUSIC]