Comments on: Comments on 7438

Post number 7438

harmful — Thu, 03 May 2001 11:52:58 -0800

It might not be strong enough to keep a rebel freighter from escaping your space station, but scientists have built a working tractor beam.

By: Steven Den Beste

Steven Den Beste — Thu, 03 May 2001 12:17:29 -0800

Unfortunately, the comments about scaling it up are nonsense, if you're thinking about moving macro-objects around. This works by catching objects in reinforcement patterns, which means that the wavelength of the light being used has to be somewhat larger than the object being moved. For atoms, that's no problem -- but no-one knows how to make a laser which runs at wavelengths of a meter or more (300 MHz or less radio frequency).

By: turaho

turaho — Thu, 03 May 2001 12:32:06 -0800

Did you have to spoil the fun so quickly, Steven? Well, it looks like I'll have to postpone the completion date of my Death Star... AGAIN.

By: kokogiak

kokogiak — Thu, 03 May 2001 12:35:52 -0800

Lord Vader will not be happy about that Turaho...

By: techgnollogic

techgnollogic — Thu, 03 May 2001 13:48:15 -0800

Steven: when you were born, there were no lasers. I wouldn't give up hope just yet...

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Thu, 03 May 2001 20:47:19 -0800

Y'know we human beings sure put a lot of effort into putting less effort into things. Like remote control devices for televisions so we don't have to actually get up to change the channel. Someday we'll have a tractor beam we can aim at the remote control, so we can pick it up and push buttons without actually picking it up and pushing buttons. Of course we'll have to pick up the tractor beam device to accomplish this, but I'm sure someday someone will invent a tractor beam for the tractor beam...

By: Steven Den Beste

Steven Den Beste — Thu, 03 May 2001 20:58:21 -0800

I can think of uses for this technology at the microscopic. It wouldn't surprise me if someone found a use for it in IC fabrication, for instance. Kind of hard to pick up a single silicon atom with your fingertips in 10^-9 Torr vacuum, you know.

By: nonharmful

nonharmful — Fri, 04 May 2001 01:44:46 -0800

Further uses may be found in medicine. It may be possible to use tractor beams to manipulate cells (e.g. IVF techniques: pulling a sperm cell to an egg cell). Interesting development....

By: quirked

quirked — Fri, 04 May 2001 06:52:28 -0800

How exactly do you twist light anyway?

By: ph00dz

ph00dz — Fri, 04 May 2001 07:48:14 -0800

this might come in handy down on my farm...