Previous versions of the much-loved lightsaber have traditionally been plastic — cold, hard plastic that not only hurts but can cause real damage.

If this Kickstarter from Canada has anything to do with it, the hard plastic battles of yesteryear are over. This foam lightsaber promises to have many of the bells and whistles of the real deal, without the potential to critically injure your opponent.

Developed by Calimacil, a company that makes swords of all kinds for LARPing (live action role-playing), they write that they’ve long wanted to develop a realistic, fun lightsaber out of foam.

Photo via Kickstarter/Calimacil
Photo via Kickstarter/Calimacil

In the video, you’ll see people fighting with the sword. Sure, they’re not swinging for the bleachers, but if you’re engaged in a friendly LARPing game, it’s OK to hit your friend with it. Or so it seems.

The lightsaber isn’t just a piece of foam on a stick, however. It has “technology to enable the possibility to change light effects, sounds, and more.”

The lightsaber is bluetooth-enabled and connects to your device so you can change colors, and it also has “precise movement detection” so that it mimics the sounds of a lightsaber as you swing.

They’ve made almost $25,000 on the way to a $38,000 goal with 26 days to go. The lightsabers are pricey, with the version with all the pluses here (changing lighting, sounds) starting at $375. You can get lesser versions that don’t light up or have noises, but what’s the point in that?

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