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Tractor Beam Created Using Water Waves

KentuckyFC writes The idea that light waves can push a physical object is far from new. But a much more recent idea is that a laser beam can also pull objects like a tractor beam. Now a team of Australian physicists has used a similar idea to create a tractor beam with water waves that pulls floating objects rather than pushes them. Their technique is to use an elongated block vibrating on the surface of water to create a train of regular plane waves. When the amplitude of these waves is small, they gradually push the surface of the water along, creating a flow that pushes floating objects with it. However, when the amplitude increases, the waves become non-linear and begin to interact with each other in a complex way. This sets up a flow of water on the surface in the opposite direction to the movement of the waves. The result is that floating objects--ping pong balls in the experiment--are pulled towards the vibrating block, like a tractor beam.

4 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. I see immediate practical applications. by SuricouRaven · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Large scale: cleaning up oil spills.
    Small scale: Device for more effectively scooping up dirt and dropped leaves from a swimming pool.

  2. Re:Won't work by mangamuscle · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you can compress space to achieve warp speed, you can then also compress space to create waves in the vacuum.

  3. Re:How did they discover this? by MightyYar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a pretty awesome result if it didn't depend on coincidence.

    That's why I don't use penicillin.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  4. Re:Suction Better by amxcoder · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Tell this to all the gardeners and landscaping crews in the country, as instead of raking up leaves now, their favorite toy seems to be the leaf blower to scatter all the debris to neighboring yards so they can get paid to do it there next.