9 September 2010

ANU's got a tractor beam?

| johnboy
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Repulsor Ray Team [Yana Izdebskaya, Anton Desyatnikov, Vladlen Shvedov, Andrei Rode, Yuri Kivshar and Wieslaw Krolikowski. Photo: Tim Wetherell]

iTWire has a story on ANU’s research with what they’re calling tractor beams.

Apparently they can now move particles .1 of a millimetre in size a couple of metres which is a major jump up to the macro scale.

On the other hand I can do a lot more with just a stick.

The real question is can the beam pull? If it’s just pushing then, as any fule no, it’s a repulsor ray and not a tractor beam.

UPDATE: ANU’s put out a media release and it’s clearly a repulsor ray, not a tractor beam. Surely these nerds should know the difference???

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Thoroughly Smashed12:11 pm 11 Sep 10

johnboy said :

On the other hand I can do a lot more with just a stick.

Ahh, but that doesn’t make you an evil genius.

JessicaNumber8:54 am 11 Sep 10

Wanted to get the lingo right so I pulled up TNG103 at just about 21 minutes.

“Hooked my model tractor beam in the ship’s power. Now it’s a repulsor beam too.”

Then the training department is teaching everyone metaphysics, a bawdy limerick and Tasha has the giggles so Picard wisely sends Data down to check on her. Turns out he’s fully functional.

so it appears a tractor beam and a repulsor beam are basically the same thing and it’s just a matter of power.

And it’s repulsor beam, just to confirm!

PrinceOfAles10:34 pm 09 Sep 10

terubo said :

And what are these Ruskies gonna DO with the amazing particle mover?

Reform the Soviet union and move the USA into a black hole.

And what are these Ruskies gonna DO with the amazing particle mover?

I recall in the Pixar film Cars, they played a game called tractor tipping; is this similar?

Me no fry said :

So how long before we have a device like Homer Simpson used to save him from having to get up from the lounge to grab a can of beer out of the fridge?

i thought that device was called ‘wife’? 😉

Lucky Grills4:02 pm 09 Sep 10

Nice pic of the Star Trek cast there.

.. as any fule no…

Been a while since I’ve read those words.

So how long before we have a device like Homer Simpson used to save him from having to get up from the lounge to grab a can of beer out of the fridge?

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