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A pair of researchers, one with the Public University of Navarre, the other with the University of Bristol, has developed a system of holographic acoustic tweezers that can be used to manipulate multiple objects simultaneously in 3-D space. Asier Marzo and Bruce Drinkwater describe their tweezers and possible uses for them in their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Holographic laser tweezers are familiar to researchers, but they can only be used to move around micro-scale objects. In this new effort, Marzo and Drinkwater take the idea of holographic tweezers into the realm of sound and in so doing have created a system capable of manipulating a host of larger objects simultaneously.
The article shows various macro-scale objects the researchers have been able to manipulate. They suggest the technology can be refined to perform non-invasive surgery, among other applications.
Sonic screwdrivers, here we come?
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Wednesday December 19 2018, @07:37PM (2 children)
Ah yes, the old "we want to make a military attack on another country, but rather than conventional weapons, poisonings, or even harassment, let's invent a secret super-weapon that mildly inconveniences a few low-level clerks." gambit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 19 2018, @07:44PM (1 child)
Yeah probably not that level of action, but I read a book from a VA doctor from the 60s/70s and he brought up the US standard for "safe" levels of microwave radiation. Apparently the US set a level many times higher than other countries and gave some Russian scientists a little sass about it, so the Russians set up a microwave emitter to irradiate their offices just below the US safety level. Apparently they quickly installed some shielding but kept the "safe" level where it was.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 20 2018, @02:30AM
You can be sure that the Soviets didn't do that because of sass to lowly scientists. They never cared. Nor do they care about microwave safety levels since nobody important was irradiated.
It was probably rather to power or illuminate espionage equipment in said embassy. For example, one could measure the reflection of the microwaves off a metal structural plate or other relatively reflective object and pick up any sounds or other vibrations affecting the object.
Why the "scare quotes" around "safe"?