Researchers at Spain’s Navarre State University are experimenting with using sound waves to simply move building materials without requiring any physical contact.
Levitation may no longer be just an illusion, although it is still part of many imaginative works and magicians’ routines. Researchers have been experimenting with using ultrasonic sound waves, well beyond the threshold of human hearing, to levitate objects for several years. Sound waves produced by ultrasonic transducers can now lift anything from five-centimeter styrofoam balls to a grid of tiny particles. Even irregularly shaped objects have been made floatable, but to date the technology has had very limited real-world use.
Researchers from Navarre State University UpnaLab and the University of São Paulo in Brazil propose using acoustic levitation as a way to complement the fast additive manufacturing techniques that many industries now rely on, from amateur hardware hackers to aerospace engineers. The team developed an acoustic lifter capable of creating acoustic fields that can capture and hold long objects such as rods and other materials, and then attached this tool to a robotic arm that allows these objects to be accurately positioned and mounted on a larger structure without any physical contact.
Perhaps even more impressively, this tool wasn’t just limited to manipulating solid objects. It could also control liquids and even materials such as adhesives or resins that were later used to bind components together. In the video above demonstrating his abilities, the lifter applies drops of glue to a simple matchstick structure that can be instantly cured with a quick burst of ultraviolet light.
In its current form, the tool the researchers used cannot be used to construct a life-size building. Lifting abilities are still limited to small, lightweight objects like wooden matchsticks. However, there are some areas where it can be used even before it is scaled up for larger projects.
Building incredibly small or elaborate components used in electronics or other devices has many special challenges, including developing machines that can safely handle small and extremely fragile parts. This acoustic manipulator developed by the researchers can be used for such a purpose in its current form. Also, since no physical contact is made with the applied or placed material, sound waves can be particularly useful in handling hot materials or even biomaterials that pose a risk of damage through physical contact, without risking cross-contamination.
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