This Breakthrough in Tractor Beam Tech Could Pave The Way to Levitating Humans
In a sci-fi feeling first, engineers at the University of Bristol used the world’s most powerful acoustic tractor beam to demonstrate that it’s possible to stably contain objects larger than the wavelength of sound.
more…
Imagine if the only way it would work for humans is if it was tuned to wavelength of the brown note
Cymek said:
Imagine if the only way it would work for humans is if it was tuned to wavelength of the brown note
Called holding the Sphincter with a twist.
Scientist – “President Trump we have invented a tractor beam that can levitate humans”
Trump – “Like in Wally were all the fat people float ?”
Scientist – “Yes sir, but it has a downside”
Trump – “I like that Wally movie, Waaaallllllyyyyyy”
Trump – “Sorry went off somewhere then, what’s the downside ?
Scientist – “You lose bowel control”
Trump – “That’s a downside”
Cymek said:
Scientist – “President Trump we have invented a tractor beam that can levitate humans”Trump – “Like in Wally were all the fat people float ?”
Scientist – “Yes sir, but it has a downside”
Trump – “I like that Wally movie, Waaaallllllyyyyyy”
Trump – “Sorry went off somewhere then, what’s the downside ?
Scientist – “You lose bowel control”
Trump – “That’s a downside”
A biggly downside.
AwesomeO said:
Cymek said:
Scientist – “President Trump we have invented a tractor beam that can levitate humans”Trump – “Like in Wally were all the fat people float ?”
Scientist – “Yes sir, but it has a downside”
Trump – “I like that Wally movie, Waaaallllllyyyyyy”
Trump – “Sorry went off somewhere then, what’s the downside ?
Scientist – “You lose bowel control”
Trump – “That’s a downside”
A biggly downside.
Tamb said:
AwesomeO said:
Cymek said:
Scientist – “President Trump we have invented a tractor beam that can levitate humans”Trump – “Like in Wally were all the fat people float ?”
Scientist – “Yes sir, but it has a downside”
Trump – “I like that Wally movie, Waaaallllllyyyyyy”
Trump – “Sorry went off somewhere then, what’s the downside ?
Scientist – “You lose bowel control”
Trump – “That’s a downside”
A biggly downside.
Maybe he meant “That’s a downside?”
Yes
Cymek said:
Scientist – “President Trump we have invented a tractor beam that can levitate humans”Trump – “Like in Wally were all the fat people float ?”
Scientist – “Yes sir, but it has a downside”
Trump – “I like that Wally movie, Waaaallllllyyyyyy”
Trump – “Sorry went off somewhere then, what’s the downside ?
Scientist – “You lose bowel control”
Trump – “That’s a downside”
Trump – “I have full control of my bowels… just like my consonants… I have the best bowels…”
Stumpy_seahorse said:
Cymek said:
Scientist – “President Trump we have invented a tractor beam that can levitate humans”Trump – “Like in Wally were all the fat people float ?”
Scientist – “Yes sir, but it has a downside”
Trump – “I like that Wally movie, Waaaallllllyyyyyy”
Trump – “Sorry went off somewhere then, what’s the downside ?
Scientist – “You lose bowel control”
Trump – “That’s a downside”
Trump – “I have full control of my bowels… just like my consonants… I have the best bowels…”
He prolly would have said like my constants.
So four posts into a thread with scientific content Trump gets invoked. He then gets a mention is every other subsequent post in the thread up to date – bar this one.
Christ.
Tamb said:
Stumpy_seahorse said:
Cymek said:
Scientist – “President Trump we have invented a tractor beam that can levitate humans”Trump – “Like in Wally were all the fat people float ?”
Scientist – “Yes sir, but it has a downside”
Trump – “I like that Wally movie, Waaaallllllyyyyyy”
Trump – “Sorry went off somewhere then, what’s the downside ?
Scientist – “You lose bowel control”
Trump – “That’s a downside”
Trump – “I have full control of my bowels… just like my consonants… I have the best bowels…”
He prolly would have said like my constants.
yeah.. I just used the proper word so Boris got the joke….
sibeen said:
So four posts into a thread with scientific content Trump gets invoked. He then gets a mention is every other subsequent post in the thread up to date – bar this one.Christ.
fail
Stumpy_seahorse said:
Tamb said:
Stumpy_seahorse said:Trump – “I have full control of my bowels… just like my consonants… I have the best bowels…”
He prolly would have said like my constants.
yeah.. I just used the proper word so Boris got the joke….
Clever.
I think the thread is way too fanciful. If possible then it’s a long way in the future.
sibeen said:
So four posts into a thread with scientific content Trump gets invoked. He then gets a mention is every other subsequent post in the thread up to date – bar this one.Christ.
Sorry my fault
It might not be too friendly to complex organic matter
Tamb said:
Stumpy_seahorse said:
Tamb said:He prolly would have said like my constants.
yeah.. I just used the proper word so Boris got the joke….
Clever.
I think the thread is way too fanciful. If possible then it’s a long way in the future.
I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
Humans have an addiction to energy and controlling energy
Who would have thought when the jet was invented that it would lead to a human standing on one?
Tau.Neutrino said:
This Breakthrough in Tractor Beam Tech Could Pave The Way to Levitating HumansIn a sci-fi feeling first, engineers at the University of Bristol used the world’s most powerful acoustic tractor beam to demonstrate that it’s possible to stably contain objects larger than the wavelength of sound.
more…
I like this bit. An acoustic tornado with a quiet core.
“The study, to be published this week in Physical Review Letters, describes the new technique, which creates a tornado-like structure that is extremely loud but has a silent core. The researchers found that when they changed the direction of the rapidly fluctuating acoustic vortices that make up this structure, they could control the rate of rotation and stabilise the tractor beam.”
For a very nice Ewetube of the phenomenon (and how to build your own) see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVDWrWpaBho
Acoustically-levitated ant, and tablet.
In “instructables” look at
http://www.instructables.com/id/Acoustic-Tractor-Beam/
(Not to self – step 3 – that’s why I was having so much trouble with Arduino soldering for rockets – I was using the wrong soldering iron – duh).
Technical article from Nature (2015). Free access.
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms9661
“sig” means signature, which may be a plot of phase and intensity of the acoustic field at the focus point.
Easier way to levitate a human.
sibeen said:
So four posts into a thread with scientific content Trump gets invoked. He then gets a mention is every other subsequent post in the thread up to date – bar this one.Christ.
cough, cough, cough, splutter
Bar what now?
Here is another way
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3534614/Now-S-hoverboard-Firm-water-jetpacks-reveals-video-new-device-works-land-reaches-10-000ft.html
A variation
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2657090/Great-scott-1-500-hoverboard-flies-air-using-high-powered-jet-water.html
Would a breathable atmosphere exist inside the vortex
Cymek said:
Would a breathable atmosphere exist inside the vortex
Yes. No problems there. The ant acoustically levitated in the video was unhurt by the experience – but in a state of total panic !
In a previous video I saw of a magnetically levitated frog, it was unhurt as well.
Tau.Neutrino said:
I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
Humans have an addiction to energy and controlling energy
Who would have thought when the jet was invented that it would lead to a human standing on one?
I loved the Zapata Ezyfly reading that article until the last line.
Good – “The Zapata Ezfly is a jet-powered flying Segway that it seems almost anyone can fly”
Good – “You stand on a small platform equipped with a series of jet thrusters, holding two handgrips that come up from the base, then rise up into the air and zoom around, steering with your bodyweight.”
Good – “10 pilots jumped aboard the Ezfly and took turns blasting about over the surface of a lake. Everyone seemed to be able to get the hang of it pretty quickly, and there were no incidents.”
Good – “Devices like the Ezfly and Jetpack Aviation’s JB-series jetpacks are capable of flying up to 10,000 ft in the air”
Bad – “Massively noisy”
Oops.
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
dv said:
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
Could it be used on the space station, to move objects?
Tau.Neutrino said:
dv said:
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
Could it be used on the space station, to move objects?
Is there currently a problem with moving objects on the space station?
dv said:
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
By “this system” do you mean “acoustic levitation”?
If so, well, it’d be cheaper than maglev. Consider all the applications of maglev.
A disadvantage would be that it’s too darn loud for bystanders.
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
By “this system” do you mean “acoustic levitation”?
If so, well, it’d be cheaper than maglev. Consider all the applications of maglev.
A disadvantage would be that it’s too darn loud for bystanders.
Yeah this seems more complicated than using a helicopter or an elevator, or just winching them up on a rope.
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
By “this system” do you mean “acoustic levitation”?
If so, well, it’d be cheaper than maglev. Consider all the applications of maglev.
A disadvantage would be that it’s too darn loud for bystanders.
The deaf society might be interested
dv said:
Tau.Neutrino said:
dv said:
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
Could it be used on the space station, to move objects?
Is there currently a problem with moving objects on the space station?
Not unless you wish to ensure that it avoids contact with all solid objects, eg. if it’s molten metal. Blowing on the object would move it more easily, but that would require moving around to keep repositioning the blower.
dv said:
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:
What would be the advantage of this system over the various other ways of altering a person’s altitude?
By “this system” do you mean “acoustic levitation”?
If so, well, it’d be cheaper than maglev. Consider all the applications of maglev.
A disadvantage would be that it’s too darn loud for bystanders.
Yeah this seems more complicated than using a helicopter or an elevator, or just winching them up on a rope.
I love the idea of winching up a rope – this should be the default way to get to the top of wind turbines.
Hang on a minute. Isn’t levitation the act of keeping something up/away from something else whereas a “tractor beam” something that draws something down/towards the system being used for the task?
furious said:
Hang on a minute. Isn’t levitation the act of keeping something up/away from something else whereas a “tractor beam” something that draws something down/towards the system being used for the task?
Yes. “Pressor beam” is the correct Scifi term, but for some insane reason Startrek doesn’t have pressors.
mollwollfumble said:
furious said:
Hang on a minute. Isn’t levitation the act of keeping something up/away from something else whereas a “tractor beam” something that draws something down/towards the system being used for the task?
Yes. “Pressor beam” is the correct Scifi term, but for some insane reason Startrek doesn’t have pressors.
Don’t they just reverse the polarity and then it pushes instead of pulls
Cymek said:
mollwollfumble said:
furious said:
Hang on a minute. Isn’t levitation the act of keeping something up/away from something else whereas a “tractor beam” something that draws something down/towards the system being used for the task?
Yes. “Pressor beam” is the correct Scifi term, but for some insane reason Startrek doesn’t have pressors.
Don’t they just reverse the polarity and then it pushes instead of pulls
:-)
dv said:
mollwollfumble said:By “this system” do you mean “acoustic levitation”?
If so, well, it’d be cheaper than maglev. Consider all the applications of maglev.
A disadvantage would be that it’s too darn loud for bystanders.
Yeah this seems more complicated than using a helicopter or an elevator, or just winching them up on a rope.
I love the idea of winching up a rope – this should be the default way to get to the top of wind turbines.
I also want them fitted to skyscrapers. Have a rope (10 mm diameter) with handle and wrist strap for one hand, and hand-hold for other hand. Grab on the rope while still outside the building at ground level and winch up to the top at 70 km/hr. Drop rope and handle for next passenger. Much like Jamie’s handmade winch for the spiderman episode.
Then to exit the skyscraper run a zipline to the car park up to 3 km away.
dv said:
Tau.Neutrino said:Could it be used on the space station, to move objects?
Is there currently a problem with moving objects on the space station?
Not unless you wish to ensure that it avoids contact with all solid objects, eg. if it’s molten metal. Blowing on the object would move it more easily, but that would require moving around to keep repositioning the blower.
I should add that one of the space station projects is microgravity alloying. If you try to mix additives of greatly differing densities in Earth’s gravity then they won’t mix properly because gravity separates them. A typical example is the difficulty in getting the precise alloy ratio correct for high-temperature-superconductors. Mixing and allowing projects on board the space station use the microgravity to avoid this problem. But that means having to work with molten metals and if the surface tension is wrong the result will be contaminated by contact with surfaces. So an acoustic levitator could be used on the space station to avoid contamination of the molten alloys for maximum purity.
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:
mollwollfumble said:By “this system” do you mean “acoustic levitation”?
If so, well, it’d be cheaper than maglev. Consider all the applications of maglev.
A disadvantage would be that it’s too darn loud for bystanders.
Yeah this seems more complicated than using a helicopter or an elevator, or just winching them up on a rope.
I love the idea of winching up a rope – this should be the default way to get to the top of wind turbines.
I also want them fitted to skyscrapers. Have a rope (10 mm diameter) with handle and wrist strap for one hand, and hand-hold for other hand. Grab on the rope while still outside the building at ground level and winch up to the top at 70 km/hr. Drop rope and handle for next passenger. Much like Jamie’s handmade winch for the spiderman episode.
Then to exit the skyscraper run a zipline to the car park up to 3 km away.
Didn’t that hand made winch just barely support his weight and they reasoned nothing publically available is safe enough
Cymek said:
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:Yeah this seems more complicated than using a helicopter or an elevator, or just winching them up on a rope.
I love the idea of winching up a rope – this should be the default way to get to the top of wind turbines.
I also want them fitted to skyscrapers. Have a rope (10 mm diameter) with handle and wrist strap for one hand, and hand-hold for other hand. Grab on the rope while still outside the building at ground level and winch up to the top at 70 km/hr. Drop rope and handle for next passenger. Much like Jamie’s handmade winch for the spiderman episode.
Then to exit the skyscraper run a zipline to the car park up to 3 km away.
Didn’t that hand made winch just barely support his weight and they reasoned nothing publically available is safe enough
Or take the elevator.
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:
Tau.Neutrino said:Could it be used on the space station, to move objects?
Is there currently a problem with moving objects on the space station?
Not unless you wish to ensure that it avoids contact with all solid objects, eg. if it’s molten metal. Blowing on the object would move it more easily, but that would require moving around to keep repositioning the blower.
I should add that one of the space station projects is microgravity alloying. If you try to mix additives of greatly differing densities in Earth’s gravity then they won’t mix properly because gravity separates them. A typical example is the difficulty in getting the precise alloy ratio correct for high-temperature-superconductors. Mixing and allowing projects on board the space station use the microgravity to avoid this problem. But that means having to work with molten metals and if the surface tension is wrong the result will be contaminated by contact with surfaces. So an acoustic levitator could be used on the space station to avoid contamination of the molten alloys for maximum purity.
Would molten uranium isotopes separately easier in microgravity
dv said:
Cymek said:
mollwollfumble said:I love the idea of winching up a rope – this should be the default way to get to the top of wind turbines.
I also want them fitted to skyscrapers. Have a rope (10 mm diameter) with handle and wrist strap for one hand, and hand-hold for other hand. Grab on the rope while still outside the building at ground level and winch up to the top at 70 km/hr. Drop rope and handle for next passenger. Much like Jamie’s handmade winch for the spiderman episode.
Then to exit the skyscraper run a zipline to the car park up to 3 km away.
Didn’t that hand made winch just barely support his weight and they reasoned nothing publically available is safe enough
Or take the elevator.
Not sure if it was Spiderman or a spy movie were they used a device that shot a bolt into a wall and then it winched them up all worn on the forearm
Cymek said:
dv said:
Cymek said:Didn’t that hand made winch just barely support his weight and they reasoned nothing publically available is safe enough
Or take the elevator.
Not sure if it was Spiderman or a spy movie were they used a device that shot a bolt into a wall and then it winched them up all worn on the forearm
Yep, similar stuff in many movies. And Adam duplicated the bolt and Jamie from Mythbusters duplicated the winch in real life.
Easier to put the winch on the skyscraper or wind turbine, though, and safer. As to why, faster and more fun than lifts. And would reduce the passenger load for lifts improving their service. And safer in a building fire than lifts. I’d use it.
> Would molten uranium isotopes separately easier in microgravity
No, the opposite. They would mix better and therefore be a bit tougher to separate. Microgravity helps with mixing, not separation.
LOL, just thought of something.
You know how aircraft come with boats, liferafts, for use in emergency.
Well, just imagine if laws insisted that skyscrapers come with parachutes, for use in emergency.
LOL, just thought of something.
You know how aircraft come with boats, liferafts, for use in emergency.
Well, just imagine if laws insisted that skyscrapers come with parachutes, for use in emergency.
mollwollfumble said:
LOL, just thought of something.You know how aircraft come with boats, liferafts, for use in emergency.
Well, just imagine if laws insisted that skyscrapers come with parachutes, for use in emergency.
You’d have to be able to go the roof as most windows don’t open and I’m not sure how easily you could break them
Cymek said:
mollwollfumble said:
LOL, just thought of something.You know how aircraft come with boats, liferafts, for use in emergency.
Well, just imagine if laws insisted that skyscrapers come with parachutes, for use in emergency.
You’d have to be able to go the roof as most windows don’t open and I’m not sure how easily you could break them
Roof’s easiest, but a skyscraper could be built with exits at intermediate levels. Some buildings already have upper level openings for delivery of items too big to take up the stairs or lift.
Another way to levitate a human.
