Business Lab · MIT Technology Review Insights

Applying Laser Technology to Humanity’s Challenges

April 5, 2022·23 min·2 clips

How a UAE research center is creating low-cost landmine detection technology to save lives worldwide.

This Business Lab episode features host Laurel Ruma and Dr. Chowky Kazmi, chief researcher at Abu Dhabi's Directed Energy Research Center. They explore how directed energy systems, like lasers and high-power microwaves, are being developed for practical, humanitarian applications. Dr. Kazmi's center focuses on harnessing high energy in a controlled volume to trigger physical reactions for scientific and industrial use. The conversation covers the center's work on a ground-penetrating radar system designed to detect and neutralize unexploded landmines for NGOs in developing countries. Research extends to telecommunications, including preventing 5G network interference with aircraft altimeters and developing laser-based satellite communications. Medical applications involve a specific laser lens for breast cancer treatment to reduce collateral damage. The lab also works on power beaming to wirelessly charge drones and on acoustic technologies for underwater sensing and communication. Further projects include enhancing 3D and 4D printing precision for space and energy sectors and adapting radar systems for archaeology or utility detection. A key insight is that the center's "disruptive innovation" aims to make technologies like landmine detection affordable for large-scale deployment. Dr. Kazmi explains that optical laser communication offers significantly higher data throughput than current technologies for space links. He describes the laboratory itself as a unique "giant microwave oven" environment that allows for testing technologies difficult to replicate elsewhere. Artificial intelligence is leveraged to analyze data from systems like the ground-penetrating radar, revealing details classical signal processing misses. He envisions a future with laser communication gateways acting as relays between Earth and the Moon. The episode maintains an educational and optimistic tone, structured as a focused interview exploring technological frontiers. The style is conversational, with the host prompting detailed explanations of complex physics and engineering concepts for a business-minded audience. Listeners interested in applied physics, humanitarian technology, and next-generation telecommunications will find this episode compelling. Those seeking business strategy discussions or critiques of technology ethics might find the technical depth less aligned with their interests.

As heard by us

A measured look at directed energy as practical technology.

Business Lab treats directed energy as a practical field rather than a distant promise, and that is where the episode earns its place. Laurel Ruma and Dr.

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Why you'd press play

You want lasers explained as infrastructure, not spectacle.

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