X

Check it out! An acoustic levitation gauntlet

If you always wanted to hover particles above the palm of your hand, this experiment is for you.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr

It's official: researchers at the University of Bristol's Bristol Interaction Group are wizards. They have invented a concept gauntlet that puts acoustic levitation in the palm of one's hand. Acoustic levitation is a technique that uses sound waves to levitate materials so that they can be manipulated without having to touch them.

The BIG team's project consists of wearable acoustic levitators attached to the hands, and could potentially allow scientists to handle dangerous or fragile materials without contact. They also created, using the same technology, a sort of "sonic screwdriver" that can also move objects around, but can be set down.