Tractor beams, energy rays that can move objects, are a science fiction mainstay. But now they are becoming a reality -- at least for moving very tiny objects.
General Physics
Sep 8, 2010
13
0
On Feb. 10, 2009, disaster struck hundreds of miles above the Siberian Peninsula. That evening, a defunct Russian satellite orbiting Earth crashed into a communications satellite called Iridium 33 moving at a speed of thousands ...
Space Exploration
Jun 1, 2023
1
171
This weekend, a Chinese rocket booster, weighing nearly 23 tons, came rushing back to Earth after spending more than a week in space—the result of what some critics, including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, have attributed ...
Space Exploration
May 13, 2021
0
12
A new prototype system that monitors the number and type of tractor-trailers moving through a region could help transportation planners identify and prioritize infrastructure projects and increase operational efficiency.
Engineering
Feb 11, 2019
0
4
Physicists from ITMO University have developed a model of an optical tractor beam to capture particles based on new artificial materials. Such a beam is capable of moving particles or cells towards the radiation source. The ...
General Physics
Nov 27, 2018
1
57
'Tractor beams' of light that pull objects towards them are no longer science fiction. Haifeng Wang at the A*STAR Data Storage Institute and co-workers have now demonstrated how a tractor beam can in fact be realized on a ...
General Physics
May 24, 2012
0
0
