6 ms·
Wouldn't it be more accurate to call this an acoustic suspension beam? Calling it a tractor beam implies that it can be mounted on the ceiling and pull an objec
by vidanay 9y ago
Wouldn't it be more accurate to call this an acoustic suspension beam? Calling it a tractor beam implies that it can be mounted on the ceiling and pull an object off the floor. Hence the name (at)tractor beam.
- nannal 9y agoNot named after farm tractors then which I'd always assumed had gained their name from the term traction engine.
- navaati 9y agoWell yes and no, traction is the act of "tirer" in French, that is the act of pulling. So a farm tractor is named as such because it pulls some (usually plowing) equipment behind it, and a tractor beam because it pulls some stuff at a distance.
- cyberferret 9y agoAlso reminds me of an interesting lesson we had in flying school, where our CFI was explaining that the "propeller" on an airplane should really be called a "tractor" because it is technically pulling the aircraft along, whereas an actual "propeller" would push the aircraft along (much as a ship's propeller does at the stern).
- B1FF_PSUVM 9y agoSometimes talking about cars someone brings that up the other way around - rear wheels 'propel', the commonly used 'traction' is about the front wheels pulling the car ...
- janekm 9y agoA propeller propels air behind it. The traction is a side effect by Newton’s third law.
- ithkuil 9y agoFrom Latin: trahere, past participle tractus. Drag, haul.
- TeMPOraL 9y agoWhenever you see "tractor beam" in this context, it most likely refers to "tractor beams" from Star Trek, which are all about pulling stuff towards you.
- Gravityloss 9y agoBesides the farm, also in airplanes. If the propeller is at the front, it's a tractor. If it's at the back, it's a pusher.
- thriftwy 9y agoI think the idea here is that suspension is easy (fans are enough for that), and the tricky part is pulling from "backwards", which this system does as indicated by the last few seconds of video.
- emiliobumachar 9y agoI've only read the posted article, but it seems theoretically possible to move objects, perhaps needing more speakers. For that, shift to a different modulation that sets the trap slightly to the side, at each small step. Analogous to a stepper motor.