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The nefarious tractor beam, otherwise known as the tool singlehandedly responsible for all alien abductions resulting in a special kind of probing, is soon to become a reality. An ensemble of researchers from South Hampton University, Illinois Wesleyan University, and the University of Dundee claim to have successfully built a working tractor beam that uses sound instead of lasers to reel in macroscopic objects.
The team of scientists used energy from an ultrasound device clinically approved for use in MRI-guided ultrasound surgery to exert force behind an object and pull it toward the energy source. The results published in the journal Physical Review Letters demonstrate that the technology can pull objects as larger as 1 cm.
“We were able to show that you could exert sufficient force on an object around one centimeter in size to hold or move it, by directing twin beams of energy from the ultrasound array towards the back of the object,” said Dr Christine Demore of the Institute for Medical Science and Technology (IMSAT) at Dundee. “This is the first time anyone has demonstrated a working acoustic tractor beam and the first time such a beam has been used to move anything bigger than microscopic targets.”
While 1-cm objects may pale in comparison to the size and weight proportions of a human being, these results are nothing to gawk at. Previous tractor beam attempts undertaken by competing groups like NASA, were only able to move objects on a microscopic level using lasers.
The acoustic tractor beam is able to exert influence on the target object because the object is question was triangularly shaped. This allowed scientists to leverage the effects of “non-conservative” forces by channeling beams of equal power and angle of incidence at the sides of the object. The resulting deflection of the beams created pressure behind the object and pushed it toward the ultrasonic energy source.
Regardless of whether there’s a science-fiction-like application for the technology or not, Dr. Demore believes this technology can further the development of ultrasound-based techniques for healthcare. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time the predictions of science fiction television shows such as Star Trek came true.
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