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Saturday, December 4, 2010

Doctor Who sonic screwdriver could become real device

Doctor Who sonic screwdriver could become real device ; Doctor Who's trusted sonic screwdriver could become a real-life tool following research being conducted by British engineers. Engineers have developed a device that is capable of moving and manipulating objects using only ultrasonic sound waves.

They say the technology could eventually lead to devices that can undo screws, assemble electronics and putting together delicate components. The news will no doubt delight young fans of Doctor Who who have dreamed of owning a sonic screwdriver of their own after watching their hero use the tool to get himself out of many sticky situations.

But while the Doctor’s device can perform a multitude of tasks from cutting, burning, welding, sending signals, controlling the TARDIS, altering mobile phones and healing wounds, the researchers warn their real life sonic screwdriver will have more limited capabilities.

Professor Bruce Drinkwater, an ultrasonics engineer at the University of Bristol, said: “We have developed a device that allows us to use ultrasonic forces to move small objects like biological cells around to sort them or to assemble them.

“We are using quite low forces to do this because we don’t want to damage the objects we are moving, but the technology is definitely real and there is potential to turn it into something like Dr Who’s sonic screwdriver.

“If we can increase the ultrasonic force and create a rotational force, then we could potentially undo screws. Essentially what you are doing is using the ultrasonic sound wave to twirl the air around to create an miniature tornado.”

Professor Drinkwater and his colleagues have created a prototype device, which they have called sonotweezers, that uses ultrasound to move around particular sizes of cells.

Tiny crystals are made to vibrate by passing an electrical current through them, producing an ultrasonic shock wave in the air around them. This shock wave generates a force that can be used to push the cells. The size of the shock wave can be tuned to move cells of different size and so separate diseased cells from healthy ones.

Their device can also be used to separate dangerous material such as anthrax from other powder using the same technique.

Professor Drinkwater claims that by increasing the size of the shock wave and creating a rotational motion, it will be possible to create a kind of ultrasonic “force field” that would have the power to undo screws.

There are already other researchers that are working on creating rotational motion with ultrasound so it can be used to assemble delicate electronic components.

Professor Drinkwater, who is working with The Big Bang Fair, which is aimed at inspiring young people to follow careers in science and engineering, said: “There are a number of things that we can do to increase the force that can be applied.

“We would need to get the air moving extremely fast to apply enough force to a screw, but we could inject a dense gas into the area around the screw head as it would produce more friction.

“It has been the miniaturisation of the technology needed that has allowed us to produce the sonotweezers.

“The sonic screwdriver may still be sometime in the making but ultrasonic technology is already making its mark in the medical and manufacturing arenas with some exciting results.”

The sonic screwdriver is the latest of a number of technologies that have been imagined by science fiction writers which have subsequently become a reality.

Military scientists at the Defence Science and Technology laboratory are developing Star Trek style force fields for protecting armoured vehicles and tanks. There are also a number of projects aimed at creating cloaking devices seen in Star Trek or Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. Quantum physicists also claim to have teleported particles over hundreds of metres. For the latest updates PRESS CTR + D or visit Stock Market news Today

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