A new study
published in
the journal
Proceedings
of the
National
Academy of
Sciences details how scientists
in Switzerland have succeeded
in using acoustic levitation to
lift objects from the ground and
make them move.
Acoustic levitation, otherwise
known as acoustophoretic
contactless transport and
handling of matter in air, is
science-talk for the ability to use
sound waves to make things
float about a room, maybe even
crash into one another.
The scientific community has
long been aware of the fact that
one could use sound waves to
move things.
In fact, acoustic levitation is
considered by many as a
noteworthy alternative to
electromagnetism, a levitation
technique that boils down to
using magnetic forces to counter
gravity and make various object
move through the air.
The only problem was that, until
recently, trying to controlling
sound waves in ways that would
lead to acoustic levitation proved
a rather futile endeavor.
Nature reports that the Swiss
researchers have figured out a
way to create a device that not
only achieves acoustic levitation,
but is also capable to juggle two
or more objects with different
weights and densities at the
same time.
So far, they have managed to
make water droplets, coffee
granules, fragments of
polystyrene and a toothpick fly
about simultaneously.
“We present a unique
acoustophoretic concept for the
contactless transport and
handling of matter in air.”
“Spatiotemporal modulation of
the levitation acoustic field allows
continuous planar transport and
processing of multiple objects,
from near-spherical (volume of
0.1–10 μL) to wire-like, without
being limited by the acoustic
wavelength,” the scientists write
in their paper.
This technology could one day be
used to try out potentially
hazardous chemical reactions.
By mixing and matching chemical
reactants with the help of
acoustic levitation, researchers
would keep nearby surfaces or
containers free from
contamination.

so so suprise