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I was on a plane today thinking about recent research that uses vibrational/waves to interact with objects. Researchers can suspend and manipulate objects with

I was on a plane today thinking about recent research that uses vibrational/waves to interact with objects. Researchers can suspend and manipulate objects with these waves. I was thinking, why isn’t it possible to use this technology to create levitating objects or vehicles??? Like UFO type flight. Just attach powerful emitters around the craft. This article makes me think this might be possible. F= m*a If waves possess mass, then it could be used as a means of force.

schoen 8y ago
I guess the aviation application is very focused on the magnitude of the force generated per watt of power expended, and pushing really hard on air (like airplane engines do) is pretty effective for that, even if there's also some way to make sound waves generate thrust. Are the sound wave lifters and manipulators (which are super cool) very power-efficient compared to a fan or a jet engine?
nenadg 8y ago
Which again proves Tesla's quotes about frequency and vibrations.
espeed 8y ago
Sound waves can move matter [1], and to a lesser degree light can too [2]. [1] Acoustophoretic contactless transport and handling of matter in air https://www.pnas.org/content/110/31/12549 https://www.pnas.org/content/110/31/12549 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitudinal_wave https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitudinal_wave http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~djmorin/waves/longitudinal.pdf http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~djmorin/waves/longitudina... [pdf] [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect
jerf 8y ago
"I was thinking, why isn’t it possible to use this technology to create levitating objects or vehicles???" It can, at least if we squint a bit. There is a clear mathematical relationship with all the various bits involved. Compute the amount of energy required to create the amount of sound to levitate, say, something with the mass of a car. You'll compute an amount of energy sufficient to destroy any conceivable emitter and any object it is targeted at. My intuitive guess is that you'll actually require an amplitude of sound that isn't sound anymore; there's actually a maximum volume that sound can have, because the bottom of the wave can only go to zero pressure. It can't go past vacuum. Also, I'd have to think about it a bit more, but I believe it would require the emitter to be separate from the thing being levitated... I think trying to self-levitate with a sound emitter would be the mathematical equivalent of trying to fly by pulling up on your hair. So don't think full-sized UFOs dapperly zipping about with discreet little "blip blip blip" sounds in the distance... think a train car running underneath a levitating car, with a speaker giving off energy comparable to continuously-exploding bunker-buster bombs, if not nuclear bombs. Definitely better off with a helicopter. There is a reason all the things you've seen lifted are little bits of styrofoam and ping pong balls.

schoen 8y ago

I guess the aviation application is very focused on the magnitude of the force generated per watt of power expended, and pushing really hard on air (like airplane engines do) is pretty effective for that, even if there's also some way to make sound waves generate thrust. Are the sound wave lifters and manipulators (which are super cool) very power-efficient compared to a fan or a jet engine?

nenadg 8y ago

Which again proves Tesla's quotes about frequency and vibrations.

espeed 8y ago

Sound waves can move matter [1], and to a lesser degree light can too [2]. [1] Acoustophoretic contactless transport and handling of matter in air https://www.pnas.org/content/110/31/12549 https://www.pnas.org/content/110/31/12549 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitudinal_wave https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitudinal_wave http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~djmorin/waves/longitudinal.pdf http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~djmorin/waves/longitudina... [pdf] [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect

jerf 8y ago

"I was thinking, why isn’t it possible to use this technology to create levitating objects or vehicles???" It can, at least if we squint a bit. There is a clear mathematical relationship with all the various bits involved. Compute the amount of energy required to create the amount of sound to levitate, say, something with the mass of a car. You'll compute an amount of energy sufficient to destroy any conceivable emitter and any object it is targeted at. My intuitive guess is that you'll actually require an amplitude of sound that isn't sound anymore; there's actually a maximum volume that sound can have, because the bottom of the wave can only go to zero pressure. It can't go past vacuum. Also, I'd have to think about it a bit more, but I believe it would require the emitter to be separate from the thing being levitated... I think trying to self-levitate with a sound emitter would be the mathematical equivalent of trying to fly by pulling up on your hair. So don't think full-sized UFOs dapperly zipping about with discreet little "blip blip blip" sounds in the distance... think a train car running underneath a levitating car, with a speaker giving off energy comparable to continuously-exploding bunker-buster bombs, if not nuclear bombs. Definitely better off with a helicopter. There is a reason all the things you've seen lifted are little bits of styrofoam and ping pong balls.