Conversation so far:
What is a laser turntable for the phonograph record?
a laser turntable uses a laser to read vinyl discs optically, without physical contact.
When was the laser turntable created?
the laser turntable was finally put on sale in 1997 – twenty years after the initial proposal
Did the laser turnable become popular?
its expense limits use primarily to digital archiving of analog records, and the laser does not play back colored vinyl or picture discs
What did you find interesting in the laser turntable section besides creation, and popularity?
In some ways similar to the laser turntable is the IRENE scanning machine for disc records

Question: Was that used a lot?
Self-contained rewrite: Was the IRENE scanning machine used a lot?