Three-dimensional Mid-air Acoustic Manipulation by Ultrasonic Phased Arrays

[PortalHunter]

Quite the mouthful.
http://arxiv.org/abs/1312.4006

[Rynn]

Cool I wonder if there are any practical applications.

[PortalHunter]

Cool I wonder if there are any practical applications.

I was wondering as well, but I remember this one thread from a year or two ago that described what a transapient could do with chaos management and some lasers. SI:3-level transapients doing the 'thundering godly voice' act by shooting correctly-timed lasers into a planetary atmosphere. Accuracy with that kind of sophistication with Acoustic Phased Arrays might yield some impressive results.

Briefly I thought of removing dust or just moving stuff around in freefall environments. But if there's something in the way of the speakers, it's not likely to work. Perhaps this could be a novelty device used for moving small household items... Or precision work in areas where physical contact is not desired? (Not quite sure about that one.) What about potential applications in fluids? Or just great displays of art made with sound waves. Those magnetically-levitated globes were popular. I wonder if you could get something like that, but on a smaller scale? Must cost an awful lot to keep the sound up, though.

[JohnnyYesterday]

Free-air haptic applications, I'd think. If sound can levitate particles and move them around, it can certainly lightly push on your skin to provide a sense of touch.

[Drashner1]

Free-air haptic applications, I'd think. If sound can levitate particles and move them around, it can certainly lightly push on your skin to provide a sense of touch.

After watching the video, another one came up in the feed (by a different group I think) that was about just this thing.

in an OA context, this sort of tech (actually a more sophisticated future version) might be used in Reality Rooms to produce some haptic experiences.

You might also use it in some kind of immersive display and control system for complex devices or installations or for handing complex data. Maybe weather simulations (or active monitoring of actual weather systems or events), fluid flow simulations, etc.

Todd

[stevebowers]

Sonic Screwdrivers.

[PortalHunter]

Sonic Screwdrivers.

You saw the chance and you took it!

*incoherent screaming*