The Laser Pod review

15 December 2004 11:56 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Remember the lava lamps that adorned everyone's home about five (and 25) years ago? The Laser pod is hoping to recreate the same excitement, but this time for the 21st Century.

Using lasers rather than warmed goo to catch the imagination the Laser Pod's ideology comes from the same school of thought as the lava lamp, ie to offer you pretty images to stare at when your pissed or spaced out.

Battery-powered or working off the mains supply, the base unit fires lasers at a small glass crystal ball that floats above a silver reflective dish. As the lasers hit the crystal its fires off in different random directions. The addition of the reflective silver cup makes it all the more celestial when the results are projected.

Projection is offered in a variety of three different ways. Two plastic cones and a glass diffusing plate. The plastic cylinders give the laser pod a more lava lamp look and feel and the lasers are contained within to capture the light and patterns. The diffuser takes away the sharpness of the individual lasers to create even more random patterns. To get the best effect, you need a dark room.

Verdict

Unfortunately the results aren't as exciting as the premise, and you'll require a dark room to see it in its full glory. At £60 the price point is similar to the lava lamp of yesteryear, but lights on or off you might still be wishing for that old but groovy 20th Century feeling to come flooding back.