Scientists have created a real-life tractor beam that can lift and move objects the size of a smartphone using nothing but sound.
April 14, 2026
Original Paper
Focused standing-wave acoustic levitation and transportation of large objects in a phased-array cylindrical cavity
SSRN · 6571101
The Takeaway
Acoustic levitation was previously limited to tiny, round dust motes. This system uses phased-array cylinders to hover heavy, elongated objects, paving the way for sci-fi-style touch-free manufacturing and medical manipulation of tools inside the body.
From the abstract
Standing-wave acoustic levitation has seen great advances recently; however, this technique is mostly restricted to round-shaped objects shorter than half a wavelength $\lambda$, since most levitators are designed as concave cavities to focus the acoustic pressure to enlarge the acoustic radiation force (ARF) along the focal zone. Although it was recently demonstrated that roughly equidimensional Mie particles (size\, $\sim\lambda$) find stable equilibrium in a wide variety of equilibrium positi