"Bits and blades are all going to be replaced by light," says Barry Schuler, CEO of the laser's developer Raydiance.

Ultrashort pulse or USP lasers have been around for 25 years, but have only recently been scaled down from a room full of equipment to a compact form that can sit on a table.

The laser cuts without generating heat, making it suitable for delicate operations such as treating burns by removing the burnt tissue.

"The short pulse is very effective in not damaging the tissue that's left behind," said Ron Waynant of the Food and Drug Administration.

Another advantage of the laser is that when the USP laser hits tissue, vapour is generated that can be analysed spectroscopically.

""That's important because we think that instantaneous analysis can be used to drive the laser with a computer," said Ahamed Idris, professor of surgery and emergency medicine at the University of Texas.

Industry figures believe that a new boom in technology driven by USP lasers is imminent.

"We're like where we were in the '60s when the laser was first invented," said Bob Clark of Clark-MXR.

"People kept asking: 'It's an interesting technology, but what problem is it going to solve?'

"Nowadays lasers are ubiquitous. Everything we know about telecommunications is done with lasers.

"I think we're at the same threshold with USP lasers."