On Thursday the 22nd of August, HiLASE Centre welcomed the minister for transportation, Martin Kupka, and Director of Space Activities and New Technologies of the ministry, Václav Kobera. They met not only with HiLASIANS Tomáš Mocek (head of the Centre), Jan Brajer (head of Industrial Laser Applications) and Radek Pobořil (use of lasers for space), but also the director of the Institute of Physics of CAS, Michael Prouza, and president of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Eva Zažímalová, along with other representatives of our mother institution.
The discussion focused on the use of laser technologies in transportation, ranging from automotive to space. Tomáš Mocek introduced the Centre’s activities with a focus on research in the area of space and defence. He talked of collaborations with important international partners, such as Lockheed Martin or the European Space Agency, alongside ambitious topics for future applications, including laser propulsion of spacecrafts, orbit waste management, wireless data transmission using laser technology, and 3D printing in space.
During the excursion, Kupka and Kobera visited our laser laboratories, where the PERLA and BIVOJ laser systems used in a variety of industrial applications are developed. One such application is Laser Shock Peening (LSP), which is why the excursion proceeded to the experimental halls focused on this technology. Jan Brajer explained the mechanics of the process and showed some cases of where LSP is helping in the area of transportation: from samples of gears used in trams to tools used in the automotive industry.
Thank you to Martin Kupka and Válav Kobera for their visit of our R&D centre, it was a pleasure to share our experiences in developing our laser technologies and their applications in their area of interest!
