Soldiers now won’t be using a new ‘lightsaber’ to battle storm troopers, but they will be using it to slice through steel while in war-zones.
The US Air force and Energetic Material & Products co-created a handheld breaching tool, and it resembles Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber.
Tech Torch is a compact, light-weight tool that generates a blade-shaped like a flame, and can rip through half-inch steel bars in seconds.
‘It works through a combination of chemistry and physics’ said Stephanie Johnson, a research chemist and program manager at the lab.
The device is about 13 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, weighs about one pound and can easily break locks bars and other barriers.
The blade-like flame creates a brief, but extremely hot metal vapor that reaches temperatures over 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Although the torch was initially developed for Special Forces, first responders will also be given the device to help them in the field.
