International. Researchers at Argonne Laboratories, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, discovered a new way to move liquids and substances through the vibrations caused by sound waves.
This technique, called acoustic levitation, uses small speakers that emit waves of 22 Khz, that is, at a frequency of 22,000 times per second. As specified by the researchers, these cause vibrations that eliminate the effect of gravity, levitating small objects and drops of liquid.
This is the result of research on a topic that NASA has also been working on since the 80s. And although the waves produced by these speakers are not perceptible to the human ear, they will be able to bring great benefits to different industries.
A possible application of this development is found in industries that must handle substances that require special care, such as pharmaceuticals, thus allowing to generate medicines more efficiently, since many of the chemicals they use can crystallize quickly and remain in the shape of the container that is used for handling.
But the scientists clarified that although acoustic levitation is a great discovery for the pharmaceutical industry, it is unlikely that it can be used to levitate humans, because the required waves could cause irreparable damage to the hearing aid.
