Holographic acoustic elements for manipulation of levitated objects.
Sound can levitate objects of different sizes and materials through air, water and tissue. This allows us to manipulate cells, liquids, compounds or living things without touching or contaminating them. However, acoustic levitation has required the targets to be enclosed with acoustic elements or had limited manoeuvrability. Here we optimize the phases used to drive an ultrasonic phased array and show that acoustic levitation can be employed to translate, rotate and manipulate particles using even a single-sided emitter. Furthermore, we introduce the holographic acoustic elements framework that permits the rapid generation of traps and provides a bridge between optical and acoustical trapping. Acoustic structures shaped as tweezers, twisters or bottles emerge as the optimum mechanisms for tractor beams or containerless transportation. Single-beam levitation could manipulate particles inside our body for applications in targeted drug delivery or acoustically controlled micro-machines that do not interfere with magnetic resonance imaging.
Deparment of Mathematics and Computer Engineering, Public University of Navarre, Campus Arrosadia, 31006 Pamplona, Spain.|Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK.
Asier
A
Marzo
Ultrahaptics Ltd, Engine Shed, Station Approach, Bristol BS1 6QH, UK.
Sue Ann
SA
Seah
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK.
Bruce W
BW
Drinkwater
Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK.
Deepak Ranjan
DR
Sahoo
Ultrahaptics Ltd, Engine Shed, Station Approach, Bristol BS1 6QH, UK.
Benjamin
B
Long
Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK.
Sriram
S
Subramanian
D000162:Acoustics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002477:Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D006696:Holography; D013016:Sound; D014465:Ultrasonics / Q000379:methods*