Easy Laser Obstacle Course

In this Instructable, I will show you how to make an obstacle course out of lasers.

For this you will need:
-Laser Pointer
-3 Mirrors
-A small solar powered light (can be found in the gardening section of many stores)
-Tape
-A spray bottle full of water 

WARNING: Do not look directly into the laser

Step 1: Secure the Laser Pointer

Step 1: 
Tape down the button on the laser pointer so it stays on and tape it to a stable surface, pointed towards a wall

Step 2: Reflect the Laser

Step 2:
Find where the laser meets the wall and tape a mirror where that is.
Repeat this step with all three mirrors.

Step 3: Adding the Light

Step 3:
Once again, find where the laser meets the wall, but this time put the solar powered light there. If the laser is hitting the middle of the solar panel, the light should turn off.

Step 4: Playing the Game

Step 4:
Once you have all the mirrors and the light set up, you are ready to play. First turn off all the lights in the room so the laser is the only source of light. When you move in front of the laser, the light will turn on because there is no other lights shining on it. With the spray bottle in one hand, try to make it across the lasers to the other side of the room. If you spray water, you can see the laser beam for a few seconds. Play this with your friends to see who can make it to one side of the room to the other without the solar light turning on.

Step 5: Contest Info

Make to Learn Youth Contest
What did I make?: Laser Obstacle Course Game (materials in intro)

How did I make it?: I was watching the show The Big Bang Theory, and in the episode they played a game called "Secret Agent Laser Obstacle Chess," where they tried to get through a field of lasers to get to the chess board. It looked fun, but they used several high powered lasers and wired them so they turn off if you interrupted the beam. I realized that would be expensive to make, and took knowledge of circuitry, so I decided to make a cheap version that could be made by almost anyone.

Where did I make it?: I made the whole project at home after my sister and I watched the episode of the Big Bang Theory with a similar game.

What did I learn? The biggest challenge of making this game was directing the laser to the solar powered light. My original plan was to have the laser taped down and have the light on the other side of the room, then to just put the mirrors in different places, but that didn't work out. I had to place the mirrors one by one letting the lasers decide how the obstacle course would be set up.  One thing that surprised me is that after the laser was pointed directly at the solar panel for a long time, the light started acting differently, turning on when it should be off and not working when it should.

Comments

[CalebJ16]

made it but don't have pics. instead of solar light i used a night light that turns on and off automatically. i had trouble keeping everything pointed right so i took it down.

[NithinA5]

Hey...what laser pointer should i use??? is it okay to keep the laser on for a long time??

[SamW125]

what type of solar light did you use please? I want to use this idea for a hen do at the ned of the month and I am curious as to how a laser will switch off the light via a pv panel.

[JakobL2]

Nice one! But what's the spray water for then? Can't I see the beam anyways?

[Ryhorn12]

What happens if you use CDs instead of mirrors? I am asking cause I haven't put the mirrors up yet

[dodo91]

cds should work, but may reflect oddly or weaken the laser over consecutive reflections.

[z0mbieman2667]

Great idea, I can't say for sure, (lost my laser pointer) but it should work just as well as mirrors. Try it out, and please tell us if it worked!

[SuicidalBarrelRoll]

Ugh... Was gonna enter, but didn't finish in time :( This comp was also quite underentered, I might have had a chance oh well

[StandingOnStones]

That's a great idea. Have you thought about doing it with several laser lights?

[z0mbieman2667]

That was actually my original intention for the game, but at the time I only had the one laser pointer. If you have multiple you should definitely try it though :)

[StandingOnStones]

I'm going to.

[mikeasaurus]

This is really neat. If you can tell me what video game has something like this I can accept it in the Game.Life 3 Contest.

[z0mbieman2667]

Sure, Splinter Cell: Conviction (possibly other games in the series) have missions where you must avoid laser fields to get through the level, and many other spy/ secret agent games most likely have a feature like this.

[sdearmon]

I can't wait to let my kids make one of these. This is a great, cheap activity that all kids will like. I'm gonna play, too! Thanks for sharing.

[Ryanj2000]

Cool idea with the solar powered light. Its a really good instructable. Good job :)