levitation
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Acoustic tractor beams could lead to levitating humans
LG wants levitating speakers in every home, but what about gravity-defying humans? Well, science could well be on its way to making us float too, thanks to a breakthrough in sonic levitation. Engineers from the University of Bristol have demonstrated that it's possible to trap (essentially levitate) objects larger than the wavelength of sound in an acoustic tractor beam -- a tricky feat due to rotating sound field transfers causing objects to spin uncontrollably.
ICYMI: Reptile robots in the wild
Today on In Case You Missed It: BBC One's nature show, "Spy in the Wild," partnered with a robotics division in order to design and produce two remote-controlled robot reptiles. Using bio-informed robotics, the team closely reproduced the creature's movements in the robots, which were constructed with motors, aluminum, carbon fiber and latex waterproof suits. The robo-reptiles -- a crocodile model and a monitor lizard version -- will be used to study real life animals up-and-close.
Ultrasound can levitate large objects
Scientists have long dreamed of using acoustic levitation to float objects, but there has been one big catch: you couldn't lift an object larger than the wavelength without being picky about what you're lifting. However, it might not be a problem going forward. Researchers in Brazil and the UK have successfully levitated a polystyrene ball 3.6 times larger than the ultrasonic waves holding it up. The trick was to create a standing wave in the gap between the transducers and the object, instead of the usual pressure node between the transducer and a reflector. You can change the angle and number of transducers without messing with the effect, and it finally creates both horizontal and vertical lift -- you don't need physical support to prevent the object from drifting sideways.
Canada's digital spies are watching what you download
It's not just American and British spies who want to know what you're downloading. Documents leaked by Edward Snowden reveal that Canada's digital surveillance agency, the Communication Security Establishment, has been monitoring the file transfer activity of at least 102 sites, including Megaupload (while it was running), Rapidshare and Sendspace. The effort, codenamed Levitation, is meant to spot foreign terrorists using these file services to conduct their operations. It may only net a user's IP address in many cases, but the CSE can run its findings through databases from allied intelligence agencies (such as GCHQ and the NSA) to get names, email addresses and other personal details.
OM Audio's levitating Bluetooth speaker can be yours for $179
We've seen levitating pens, levitating lamps, levitating loungers and even levitating fish -- now there's a Bluetooth speaker to add to the mix. OM Audio, maker of such respectable audio accessories as the Inearpeace earphones and Mantra speakers, has taken a bold leap into the world of novelty products with the OM/One. The compact sphere can be used with or without its magnetic base (which requires an AC adapter), and includes an integrated battery with up to 15 hours of continuous play. There's also a microphone on board, so you can use the OM/One as a speakerphone as well. We had a chance to check out an early prototype, which you can see in action after the break. Sound quality was fine -- not fantastic, but on par with other compact Bluetooth speakers. You can improve the experience by adding a second OM/One, which pairs with the first to produce stereo audio. The levitating effect is interesting to look at, but it also reportedly helps produce better audio with a lower-power driver, since nearby objects won't absorb sound. You can pre-order it today in black, white or "disco ball" on OM's site for $179. OM reps expect to ship the first batch in December.
Laptops to get maglev keyboards that reduce their thickness
Magnetic levitation keyboards have been around for a while, but they've never really taken off, or floated our boats, or attracted much atten... Anyway, a Taiwanese manufacturer called Darfon is persevering with the idea, and it's discovered that maglev keys, which rest on opposing magnets instead of mushy membranes or mechanical switches, can make laptop keyboards significantly thinner. Unfortunately, according to a CNET journalist who played with a couple of prototypes at Computex, the keys can be hard to type on if skinniness is taken to the extreme. Then again, there's scope to change the resistance of the keyboard electronically to suit your preference, and Darfon claims it has already received orders from laptop makers who are targeting launches later this year. If that's true, perhaps the technology isn't so repellant after all. [Image credit: Aloysius Low / CNET]
Watch an ultrasonic array move objects in 3D space (video)
Ultrasonic levitation has been possible for awhile, but it's not very practical when objects must typically hover along a single axis. University of Tokyo researchers Yoichi Ochiai, Takayuki Hoshi and Jun Rekimoto have cleared this hurdle with an ultrasonic array that can push items around in 3D space. The machine creates a focal point from a three-dimensional standing wave; users just have to alter the wave's properties to move whatever is caught inside that point. The technique can manipulate a wide range of materials, and it's safe to disrupt with your hands. While the array will need to scale up before it lifts objects much larger than matchsticks or screws, it already shows that we don't need exotic technologies like tractor beams to float things through the air.
Scientists use sound waves to lift and move objects, make cup of joe mid-air
Levitating objects with sound waves isn't anything new, but a team from Switzerland has taken it to the next level by rotating and moving objects as they float. In fact, the researchers were able to manipulate a number of objects mid-air, including water droplets, inserting DNA into cells and mixing up a little instant coffee. If you're wondering how intense sound waves need to be to get things moving (at this level, at least) then 160 decibels is the starting point. If that sounds ear-splittingly loud, that's because it is. But, by using frequencies typically out of the human audible range (24 kHz), no ears were at risk. The movement itself is controlled by a grid of sound-emitting squares. Once the object was in the air, it could be moved around by lowering the volume on one grid point, and increasing it on the next. For now, the science is only able to lift tiny objects, but the same team claims that it'll will soon show similar work using steel balls. Could we use this to get our (sonic) hoverboard? We're not calling that just yet.
ZeroN slips surly bonds, re-runs your 3D gestures in mid-air
Playback of 3D motion capture with a computer is nothing new, but how about with a solid levitating object? MIT's Media Lab has developed ZeroN, a large magnet and 3D actuator, which can fly an "interaction element" (aka ball bearing) and control its position in space. You can also bump it to and fro yourself, with everything scanned and recorded, and then have real-life, gravity-defying playback showing planetary motion or virtual cameras, for example. It might be impractical right now as a Minority Report-type object-based input device, but check the video after the break to see its awesome potential for 3D visualization.
Levitating superconductor floats within a magnetic field so you don't have to (video)
What happens when you douse a superconducting urinal cake with liquid nitrogen? We haven't given it too much thought, to be honest, though we're guessing it would look a lot like the "levitating" disc pictured above. Developed by researchers at Tel-Aviv University, this device is actually a superconductor hovering over a "supercooled" magnet. While locked within the magnetic field, it can rotate around a vertical axis, turn upside down or do laps around a track -- all thanks to a phenomenon that Tel-Aviv's physicists call "quantum trapping." We're not really sure what that entails, but we do know that the results are pretty incredible. Check them out for yourself, after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Artist creates Back to the Future hoverboard -- that actually hovers (video)
Don't expect to ride it on solid ground -- much less water -- but what you see above is indeed a hoverboard that floats. Using electromagnets embedded in the podium and a laser system to measure its position, artist Nils Guadagnin has managed to keep a familiar-looking pink plank aloft, a full five years and five months before the real deal supposedly sees common use. Give the man a pair of kicks, a car and a flux capacitor, and he'll be all set. Video after the break.
Researchers say acoustic levitation could save equipment on Mars
Rovers may have been able to endure life on Mars longer than anyone expected, but things could be more tricky for any sort of long-term exploration, where dust could cause equipment to grind to a halt or even pose a risk to human explorers. Some researchers from the University of Vermont now say they might have an answer to that problem, however, and it's not too far removed from levitating fish. While no fish were actually involved in their experiment, the group is suggesting that the same principle of acoustic levitation could be used to lift dust off the surface of solar panels, space suits and other equipment. There is one big catch however, in that the levitation trick would only work inside a habitation or other enclosure where the sound waves can travel as they do on Earth -- because, as Total Recall taught us, bad things happen outside on Mars.
Crealev builds a levitating lamp
We haven't heard of Dutch design outfit Crealev before, but the company says it's developed a "new levitation concept which is able to produce a very high levitation height combined with a low power dissipation and excellent stability" -- and apparently the best way to show that off is this series of levitating lamps. Unveiled at last week's Dutch Design Week event, the lamps are the product of designer Angela Jansen. We're assuming they're magnetic in some way, but Crealev's website is pretty cagey with the details, only saying that it's a "proprietary technology." Either way, we want one.Read -- Crealev websiteRead -- Video of the lamps in action
Secrets of levitation cracked by Scottish researchers?
Try not to get too frenetic here, but a couple of gurus at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland have reportedly created an "incredible levitation effect by engineering the force of nature which normally causes objects to stick together." In layman's terms, the scientists have devised a way to reverse the phenomenon known as the Casimir force so that it "repels instead of attracts." Ultimately, the discovery could lead to "frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate," and in theory, devices could be created to transport humans. Do realize, however, that individuals in this team have also "showed that invisibility cloaks are feasible," so we're not counting ourselves amongst the faithful just yet.[Thanks, James][Our readers have let us know that this article's headline bore some similarities to other articles on the same topic -- though purely coincidental, in the interest of further differentiating the post we've edited it to a small degree. -Ed.]
Embotec's levitating keyboard uses magnets, not forklifts
If you can't get 'em to produce infinite clean energy in your perpetual motion machine, why not repurpose those magnets into a keyboard? That's what Embotec's done with their appropriately named Magnetic Levitation Keyboard. The design apparently aligns the magnets in opposition which forces the keys apart before succumbing to the pressure of your digits and German supermodels. Now please, by all means, do not use it near the magnetic desk. Else you might find yourself levitating over the Grand Canyon wearing a smarmy ascot and feathered hair. [Via AVING]
Chinese mad scientists levitate fish with sound
You can pour over that gift-guide all you want, but in the end all most of us really want for the holidays is peace on earth. Short of that, levitating fish comes always comes in as a close second in our inter-office pools, so it looks like we've got ourselves a little Festivus miracle on our hands: using merely the powers of sound waves, some crazy Chinese scientists have managed to achieve sustained levitation of small objects, with their most recent achievements being a whole collection of small insects, a tadpole, fish eggs and even a fish. Of course, in our imagination the fish always have cute little water bubbles around their heads, but in these tests the fish "did not fare as well" as its air-breathing companions, despite the scientists' attempts at injecting water into the levitation field. Sad. Apparently the real purpose of these tests is to develop a method of handling dangerous compounds without the risks introduced by using a container which could potentially corrode or react badly with the compound. We can't say as much for the industrial applications of levitating fish, but it's still pretty dang awesome.[Via Futurismic]
