Researchers Create Real Tractor Beams

Gadgetank writes "Researchers out of the Australian National University have created a device, working in conjunction with other necessary devices, that can literally move small particles with light. And only light. The way it works is by shining a hollow laser beam around some tiny glass particles. The researchers heat the air around the particles, and therefore cause the dark center of the beam to remain cool."

Re:not a real tractor beam

[The MAZZTer]

Well then they just need to reverse the polarity!

In related news

[gearloos]

John Deere files suit

Pfft

[Adambomb]

Wouldn't work in a vacuum, less space than a nomad. Lame.

OMG

[future assassin]

It worked so well that moving the particles caused the news about them to be duped http://tech.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=Tractor+Beams [slashdot.org] They call it the Dupification Effect.

Re:OMG

[c++0xFF]

It worked so well it sent the news back into the past! That's incredible!

This has gotten ridiculous...

[hedpe2003]

A Slashdot submission... linking to a forum [gadgetank.com]... linking to a new site [dvice.com]... linking to a.... Slashdot submission [slashdot.org]???

When I think SEO backlinking... I think this.

Re:Tractor beam? Hardly

[mosb1000]

You should seriously consider losing some weight.

Re:Tractor beam? Hardly

[eln]

You can use a repulsor beam like this to bring things within your grasp if it's positioned properly, much like women can increase their own attraction by bringing their much uglier friend with them to the bars. In practical terms, your large gravitational pull is actually counteracted by a natural repulsor beam (also generated by your weight) that keeps women away from you. If this new beam were to be placed directly behind your target, it may be able to successfully counteract your own repulsive field enough to draw the women in, or at least allow them to enter into a stable orbit around you. After that, you just have to turn up the charm and you're golden.

Re:not a real tractor beam

[Bobfrankly1]

So when a deer in the road moves toward me because I shine my headlights down the road, my headlights are a tractor beam?

Time Travel

[Zalbik]

Damnit....I warned them that this would disrupt the space time continuum.

Those fools had to go ahead and do it anyways.

And now look what's happened...we're caught in a loop [slashdot.org]!

Re:not a real tractor beam

[Chris Burke]

I vote we call them tugboat beams instead.

That's a pretty great idea, actually. I second this!

It's certainly much better than my idea of renaming tractors "uni-directional laser tweezer trucks"

Re:not a real tractor beam

[Beardydog]

It's not something that you just dump microscopic dielectric objects on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes.

Re:Echolocation

[derGoldstein]

Slashdot has become so big that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and neither hand actually READS Slashdot...