Scientists fine-tune 'tweezers of sound' for contactless manipulation of objects

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Source: https://phys.org/news/2022-08-scientists-fine-tune-tweezers-contactless.html

August 22, 2022

Scientists fine-tune 'tweezers of sound' for contactless manipulation of objects

by Tokyo Metropolitan University

Photograph highlighting the picking up of a particle on the rigid stage: (a) successful picking up; (c)–(d) upward motion; and (f) successfully maintaining the particle. Credit: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics (2022). DOI: 10.35848/1347-4065/ac51c4

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have successfully enhanced technology to lift small particles using sound waves. Their "acoustic tweezers" could lift things from reflective surfaces without physical contact, but stability remained an issue. Now, using an adaptive algorithm to fine-tune how the tweezers are controlled, they have drastically improved how stably the particles can be lifted. With further miniaturization, this technology could be deployed in a vast range of environments, including space.

As anyone standing next to a loudspeaker can attest to, sound waves can exert a real, physical force. With the right arrangement of speakers at the right frequency, amplitude, and phase, it becomes possible to superimpose those waves and setup a field of influence which can push, lift and hold physical objects. Such acoustic tweezer technology promises completely contactless, contamination-free manipulation of small objects.

Last year, Dr. Shota Kondo and Associate Professor Kan Okubo from Tokyo Metropolitan University realized contactless lift and movement of millimeter-sized particles using a hemispherical array of small, ultrasound transducers. The transducers would be driven individually according to a unique algorithm, allowing them to set up fields of sound pressure which ultimately lifted and moved objects. However, the stability of their "acoustic tweezers" remained an outstanding issue.

VIDEO : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZJNhLDVfyk&feature=emb_title

Scientists fine-tune 'tweezers of sound' for contactless manipulation of objects

Scientists fine-tune 'tweezers of sound' for contactless manipulation of...