The wild “Waterbending” technology uses waves to accurately guide things

Imagine a large float in a lake or a swimming pool, then try to move. We were all there-without rowing ends, subsequent winds, or drive, you are stuck. But what if we could make the water itself move you?

An international team of researchers has developed water treatment technology and moving floating things at a level of accuracy that looks directly from the science fiction movie. In addition to its cold, inherent worker, this research can have practical applications, ranging from molecular experiments to boat maneuver via large surfaces of water.

Water manipulation technique is driven by waves. After studying the computer simulation, the team used the 3D printed plastic structures to generate different types of waves in the water tank. One of the structures was a loop with 24 tubes connected to the loudspeakers, which produced low tone sounds that created ripples in the water inside the ring.

By playing the size and frequency of the surfing the structures, the researchers created complex patterns across the surface of the water – such as rings and swirls – that allow them to control the movement of floating things such as foam balls, Ping Pong balls, and rice grains.

As is detailed in a Ticket It was published in early February in Nature, researchers used waves to accomplish tricks such as keeping floating things in their place or urging them to follow circular or spiral paths. They even noticed that small external waves did not greatly disturb the movement of the pattern and the movement of the object. In general, floating organisms deviate from their path with less than five inches (about 5 millimeters). Despite the appearances, researchers are not water tools – all of which are based on physics.

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“The results we have reached are the first step in exploring how to form water waves to move things, with many possible applications in the future,” said Shin Yigi, of Nianang Technological University in Singapore. statement.

Yijie is an optical engineer, and the recent study was inspired by his search for highlights. He and his colleagues had previously shown that light waves could move small molecules inside the surfaces of light, which led him to ask whether the water could act similarly.

“We have shown that water waves can be used to stir floating things accurately like rice granules. Future research can study even smaller waves such as those on the cell scale that are hundreds of times smaller, as well as the largest sea waves of more than a thousand times.”

On a molecular scale, this technology can combine particles without direct manipulation. On a wider scale, we can control the movement of boats across water bodies, although researchers admit that the effect of strong natural waves should be calculated. Can this technology also transfer fluids inside the water? Similar water treatment techniques may help clean floating chemical pollutants. However, it should also be noted that scientists will likely have to use large structures to generate waves in large water surfaces.

Looking at the similarities between water waves, light waves, and electron movement, researchers suggest that water can provide an easy way to study some quantum phenomena. If you think this is largely future, you just have to wait – Future can even investigate the possibility of using water patterns to store data, according to the statement.

Currently, the team aims to investigate whether the waves can create similar patterns under the surface of the water.