Scientists have demonstrated controlled acoustic levitation

The very phenomenon of acoustic levitation - flight using the energy of sound waves of a sufficiently high intensity - has been known for quite some time. However, scientists from the Swiss Higher Technical School of Zurich managed to achieve not only the floating of objects on the crest of a standing wave, but a controlled flight . Their installation consists of an array of ultrasound emitters under computer control. Consistently changing the frequency and intensity of different emitters, you can move and rotate objects without touching them. Scientists have demonstrated controlled levitation of droplets of liquids and grains of solid materials, as well as the rotation of a wooden toothpick - for acoustic levitation, unlike electromagnetic, the electrical and magnetic properties of objects are not important.



Acoustic levitation is inferior to a magnetic one in manipulation accuracy and has undesirable side effects - too much intensity of sound waves can literally break the levitating object. Although it is theoretically possible to make a very massive object soar on the sound waves, in practice it is more convenient to handle small drops and particles of matter when the intensity of the acoustic waves is rather small.

The advantages of acoustic levitation appear where non-magnetic and non-conductive materials need to be manipulated. It can be used in chemistry and biology when working with substances and preparations for which contact with any surfaces is undesirable, in microelectronics, and everywhere where there are very high demands on the purity of materials for the transportation of drugs.
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