Scientists from Japan show a method of moving objects with sound waves
A research team from the University of Tokyo Metropolitan University has demonstrated a new technology, thanks to which it is possible to move small objects by using sound waves.
New method and what is its essence
Japanese engineers decided to use the so-called hemispherical array of ultrasonic transducers, with which they were created three-dimensional acoustic fields, which not only held, but also lifted a small polystyrene ball with an even playgrounds.
This approach is in many ways similar to a laser trap, except that the acoustic version can be adapted to a much wider range of particles and materials.
For reference. For several years now, scientists have been actively using light fluxes to move miniature objects. And in fact, part of the Nobel Prize, which was awarded to A. Eshkin, just issued for achievements in the field of optical tweezers, a device that is capable of transporting particles through the use of laser light.
Scientists decided to further develop this technology, and after a while Japanese engineers demonstrated an acoustic trap (alternative technology) that uses sound. Since they can be used in a wider range of objects and materials.
In the course of experiments in the laboratory, scientists have successfully manipulated particles as small as a millimeter.
Despite the clear success, scientists emphasize that they faced a wide range of technical challenges. So, in particular, it was quite problematic for scientists to control a large array of ultrasonic transducers in real time and create sound fields for transportation of objects, which are located quite far from the transducers, as well as near surfaces that perfectly reflect sound waves.
So, in the course of numerous experiments, Tokyo scientists managed to create a completely unique approach to transporting particles.
To do this, scientists had to split the array into separate easily controllable blocks and apply an inverse filter, thanks to which they succeeded find the optimal amplitude and phase for control and, thus, form a single trap at a certain distance from themselves converters.
Of course, the technology is still very far from any commercial use, but the very possibility of managing objects due to the use of sound waves, it seems quite promising and can be used in a variety of areas industry.
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