In an incredible feat, scientists have created the world's first sonic tractor beam that can lift objects using nothing but sound waves.
The concept of mysterious tractor beams has been of interest to a number of science fiction writers, and has even been seen in "Star Wars." Now scientists have finally created a tractor beam in real life, the University of Sussex reported. The researchers built a working tractor beam that uses high-amplitude sound waves to generate an "acoustic hologram" that has the ability to lift objects. The breakthrough could be used for a wide range of applications ranging from assembling delicate items to handling small pharmaceutical products.
"In our device we manipulate objects in mid-air and seemingly defy gravity. Here we individually control dozens of loudspeakers to tell us an optimal solution to generate an acoustic hologram that can manipulate multiple objects in real-time without contact," said Sriram Subramanian, Professor of Informatics at the University of Sussex and co-founder of Ultrahaptics.
The device includes an array of 64 miniature loudspeakers that generate high-pitch and high-intensity sound waves. The beam surrounds the object with high-intensity sound powerful enough to keep it in place. The object can then be manipulated by moving the speakers.
The researchers demonstrated that three types of acoustic force fields can act as tractor beams: one that resembles a pair of tweezers; an "acoustic vortex" in which the object becomes trapped in the core; and a "cage" that surrounds the object and holds it in place from all angles.
"We all know that sound waves can have a physical effect. But here we have managed to control the sound to a degree never previously achieved," said Bruce Drinkwater, Professor of Ultrasonics in the University of Bristol's Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Nature Communications.
