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Simply put, this technology utilizes a beam of light to attract objects, according to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. In "Star Trek," tractor beams were often used to pull spaceships and other objects closer to the focal point of the light source attached to another ship. Researchers at St. Andrews and the Institute of Scientific Instruments, or ISI, in the Czech Republic have figured out a way of generating an optical field that can reverse the radiation pressure of light.
from the article
"The practical applications could be very great, very exciting," Cizmar told the BBC. "The tractor beam is very selective in the properties of the particles it acts on, so you could pick up specific particles in a mixture. Eventually, this could be used to separate white blood cells, for example."
reply to post by MystikMushroom
That quote is pretty awesome. Right now when you donate plasma, they use a centerfuge to spin the blood and seperate out the plasma. Perhaps this technology could be used to shorten the time it takes to donate?
originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
Just think we could use this as a new method of transportation to beam everywhere we need to go!
originally posted by: Bedlam
originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
Just think we could use this as a new method of transportation to beam everywhere we need to go!
That's from the patent app for a thermoelectric converter. While it has lots of cool sciency words in, perhaps you can explain how you think it's a way to "beam everywhere you go".
originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
originally posted by: Bedlam
originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
Just think we could use this as a new method of transportation to beam everywhere we need to go!
That's from the patent app for a thermoelectric converter. While it has lots of cool sciency words in, perhaps you can explain how you think it's a way to "beam everywhere you go".
Look heres a video that pretty much explains, just think more power and bigger!
originally posted by: Bedlam
originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
originally posted by: Bedlam
originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
Just think we could use this as a new method of transportation to beam everywhere we need to go!
That's from the patent app for a thermoelectric converter. While it has lots of cool sciency words in, perhaps you can explain how you think it's a way to "beam everywhere you go".
Look heres a video that pretty much explains, just think more power and bigger!
No. No, it doesn't. The video is about using a laser in optical tweezer mode. At least that's the only way that exists. The thing you keep posting over and over is about a thermoelectric converter, which has absolutely nothing whatever to do with the video, or the topic, except there's a picture that looks crudely like an image from the video.
In other words, you managed to do one of your usual keyword-search-not-understanding-the-cite things. Please. Try, TRY to read, watch, listen and understand. Keywords and image matching are not your friend.
Further, optical tweezers are spectacularly limited in force, as what is doing the pushing is the light pressure. By the time you get enough of it to lift some object more than a few micrograms, you're going to get a smoky foof and the object is going to be gone. It won't lift a mountain. Nor a pool ball.
originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
No no no you have to start thinking outside the box dude! There is no limit to what we can do if we put our minds to it! This tech could be combined with other technology like magnetic fields and acoustic levitation to become some new form of travel. Duuuuuuude there is soooo much we could do! Just open your mind to the possibilities!