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Usernamenotta t1_iyc9tfe wrote

Well, I mean, technically, with a powerful enough laser, you don't need to precisely aim it. You can use the same technique radars use and do 'sweeps', with the lasers going from right to left or up and down, or perhaps having multiple layers doing the same thing. But, as mentioned, you will still have some holes in the 'fishnet' even with this method. The best strategy is a layered defence. Kinetic protection is the most sound choice when it comes to singular impacts, but overtime it's going to fail due to multiple impacts and radiation exposure. Especially if you go for the traditional 'armor' ideea (liquid metal armour, while more Sci-Fi, at least prevents the forming of cracks).

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InternationalShake75 t1_iydm9k7 wrote

i suspect a laser disco ball concept is going to be way too power hungry, and that means it will be prohibitively massive with todays power technology.

The liquid metal armor idea isnt entirely scifi. Liquid armor already exists using non-Newtonian fluids. There are commercial products for motorcycle armor you can buy today. For Liquid metal armor, check out ferrofluid armor and the AFRL. Unfortunately, these arent worth the bang for the buck, in terms of protection versus mass compared to a traditional kinetic whipple shield.

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