Science fiction always turns into reality and we have seen it happen right in front of our eyes.
To prove this hypothesis true, researchers at the Department of Physics and Centre for Soft Matter Research at New York University have come up with a Star Trek-style technology, though only on a very miniscule scale. Professor David Grier and David Ruffner claim that they have developed a unique method with the help of which they can draw a particle towards a source using beams of light. Until now, researchers could only manage to use laser tweezers in order to drag particles along a distance in 2D.
This technology is eerily similar to the Star Trek themed space rescue missions. When a friendly space ship was in distress, the Enterprise used to run their tractor beam in order to drag the space ship toward safety. That premise has now been made real in this amazing research, which I think is astounding. In fact, the duo has also published a paper in the journal of Physical Review Letters.
The technology is very basic and the researchers have shown that such an idea is demonstrable within the confines of a lab. This experiment gives us hope that one day we will be able to witness technological and space advances that match science fiction. The NYU tractor beam is getting really popular and many researchers have begun to show interest in this obscure paper and research.
The fact that this technology was inspired by Chinese research published last year makes us think even more. It is not clear how this technology will help us practically and how long it might take for scientists to develop an apparatus that can drag objects using light beams. I am sure when such a thing is made possible; it can have great utilities in the army and combat.
