Acoustic holograms are projected from a flat surface and contrary to traditional holograms, they exert considerable forces on the objects contained within. (Photo : Asier Marzo, Bruce Drinkwater and Sriram Subramanian)
Scientists in Spain created a sonic tractor beam that can gravitate tiny objects and move them around. A similar technology is used in lifting and spinning objects in mid air by forces that are created by an ultrasonic wave field.
Researchers from the Public University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain hopes to use this technique for surgeries using microsurgical instruments that will be inserted inside patients' bodies and administer medicine to damaged tissues. Of course the questions lies if this can be used in capturing vehicles in space similar to science fiction such as Star Wars or Star Trek however, the answer is no.
Researchers explain the technique behind this tractor beam where they use ultrasound in order to move tiny polysterene beads that measure 3 millimeters each and weigh just a fraction of a gram. According to lead researcher Asier Marzo, the beam can surely move larger and heavier objects than planned however, the main application of the beam is to move smaller objects inside a human body.
This technology works effectively with the use of flat speakers that can generate acoustic holograms. Acoustic holograms are similar to visual holograms which are 3D using light waves but this tractor beam uses interfering sound waves. When two waves intersect, they can then produce a greater amplitude.
The team can carefully adjust these soundwaves and create moving acoustic holograms that are used as 3D cages or even rotating spirals that can lift, grab or even spin or bump around tiny particles.
This tractor beam uses sonic waves in the shape of a 3D hologram that appears like a cage or a bottle where the object is moved towards inside to be captured. The cage walls are made from high pressure ultrasound waves however, the pressure inside the cage is almost zero.
When a certain particle is trapped inside high pressure, it stays there where the team can update the hologram in real time in order to "command" the cage towards any direction as the particle also moves inside this sonicwave 3D cage hologram, adds Marzo.
The reason why the team uses sound waves is that these can easily travel through body tissues where this breakthrough technology can be used for medical applications such as manipulating kidney stones, clots or as microsurgical instruments to control something on the inside without making any incisions or openings including placing a drug so that it will stay in a certain infected area of the body.
This tractor beam technology is also known as "containerless transportation" that can be used in future applications that involves dangerous or hazardous materials to handle or that can contaminate humans. This new study is published in the journal, Nature Communications.
