Watching a laser machine gun clean rusty metal is a perfect midweek meditation

The internet is full of tips on how to make cleaning fun, but I want more. I want an invention that would make the task nothing but pure joy: house-cleaning lasers. All of the mesmerizing visual effects of a laser light show! None of the backbreaking scrubbing of spring cleaning!

A small step toward my fantasy is available today. The process is called "laser ablation," which is a scientific term for using very focused lasers to remove one material from another. Laser ablation is typically used to clean rust and grime off metal.

The handheld version seen below is made by a Belgian company called P-Laser. As P-Laser engineer Thijs Peeters told Digital Trends, it’s basically a laser machine gun that shoots a lot of light bullets. "When...