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If successful, we may be driving with lasers in our cars rather than spark plugs and, in the process, may better fuel efficiency.
Spark plugs, which are electrical devices located in the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines, waste a bit of gasoline with each cycle of the cylinders as it ignites compressed fuels, such as gasoline.
However, lasers will eliminate that waste, giving us better miles per gallon (liter) with our cars.
The biggest hurdle with this new technology is placing a powerful laser into a very small volume and making sure it doesn't impact the rest of the engine.
For more on the story, please read the April 23, 2011 BBC News article 'Lasers could replace spark plugs in car engines.'
