Scientists take the effort out of moving objects "this is a breakthrough"

[IChing]

IT was like pushing water uphill, but easier. A team led by scientists from Edinburgh University yesterday claimed a breakthrough by becoming the first to make objects move remotely and with no direct physical effort.

Their pioneering use of nanotechnology involved shifting a tiny droplet of a substance called diiodomethane, a thick, oily liquid, up a 12-degree slope against the force of gravity. This is claimed to be the small-scale equivalent of a conventional machine lifting an object twice the height of the world's tallest building.

Many scientists have made laboratory molecules move in a controlled way but the Edinburgh team are the first to use this technology to interact with everyday objects.
Professor David Leigh, the team's principal researcher, said: "It is the first time molecular machines have managed to talk to the real world."

Their breakthrough could mean that lifting things becomes unnecessary in the future, and a world where people can shift objects about remotely, using laser pointers, is less the stuff of sci-fi movies and more the stuff of reality.

The research team has developed a surface that is covered with synthetic molecular "shuttles", which has been likened to Teflon. >>>>>>snip

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/45902-print.shtml

[Atman]

1. IT'S A MIRACLE!

Only an intelligent floating ghost could have designed such a thing!

[slor]

2. Can I use mine to...

"lift" the chimp regime into space?

[Tesha]

3. The article ignores the physics

The article conveniently glossed over the question of "where does the energy come from?"

A laser pointer obviously doesn't supply enough energy to lift, say,
a 10 pound weight 3 feet (which requires 30 ft/lbs, a.k.a. ~40 joules of energy) in any meaningful amount of time. 40 joules (Watt/seconds) would require an output of 40 watts for 1 second or, say 1 watt for 40 seconds. Unfortunately, that laser pointer is putting out about 1 or 2 *MILLIWATTS*, so even if its energy could be converted at 100% efficiency into mechanical work, it would take 40,000 seconds (about a half a day!) to lift our 10 pound weight 3 feet.

Tesha

[IChing]

4. A little more on the physics.

A key technological breakthrough led by the University of Edinburgh suggests that a futuristic world where people can move objects about “remotely” with laser pointers could be closer than we think. Chemists working on the nanoscale (80,000 times smaller than a hair's breadth) have managed to move a tiny droplet of liquid across a surface - and even up a slope - by transporting it along a layer of light-sensitive molecules.

Scientists at Edinburgh, Groningen and Bologna are the first to manipulate tiny nanoscale machines (two millionths of a millimetre high) so that they can move an object that is visible to the naked eye. The team has shifted microlitre drops of diiodomethane not just across a flat surface, but also up a one millimetre, 12 degree slope against the force of gravity. It may be the tiniest of movements, but, in the emerging discipline of nanotechnology, it represents a giant technological leap forward.

Although many scientists are working with so-called “molecular machines” - a process which involves making the parts of molecules move in a controlled fashion - the Edinburgh-led team is the first to make these machines interact with 'real world' objects. Until now, molecular machines have operated in isolation within the laboratory, but this latest piece of research brings them into contact with the everyday world around us. The research team has developed a Teflon-like surface that is covered with synthetic molecular 'shuttles', the components of which move up and down by a millionth of a millimetre when exposed to light. The movement of droplets results from the change in surface properties after most of the shuttle molecules change position. The phenomenon is so efficient that it generates enough energy to move the droplet. In terms of scale, the process is mind-boggling: it is the equivalent of a conventional mechanical machine using a millimetre displacement of pistons to lift an object twice the height of the world's tallest building.

http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=1315

[Tesha]

5. See, there's where they go astray...

> The phenomenon is so efficient that it generates enough energy
> to move the droplet.

Bzzzt -- Wrong! Maybe it "transforms" enough energy from electromagnetic
to mechanical, but it doesn't generate" *ANY* energy!

Tesha

[mainegreen]

6. Yah

Now we can all stop moving and everyone can get really fat!

Seems kinda silly to me. From that little description, I can't see how it would ever be economical.

[Nihil]

7. Just don't start getting offended ...

... if someone starts shining a light on you - they're just trying
to help you exercise!
:-)

[IChing]

8. tractor beam technology from the BBC

By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse
A "tractor beam" that can reach out, trap and move objects has been developed by British scientists.

But while fictional tractor beams of the kind depicted in Star Trek can ensnare a giant spaceship, this real version works only at the microscopic level.

The beam consists of a helix of twisting laser light, which is able to seize hold of objects as small as a protein molecule.

Scientists believe it will be an invaluable tool for manipulating parts of living cells or components of micro-machines.

Glass beads

Dr Kishan Dholakia, of St Andrews University, said: "Our technique could be used to drive motors, mixers, centrifuges and other rotating parts in cheap, tiny, automated technologies of the future."


The beam can rotate tiny objects
The researchers speculate that components like these might one day appear on microchip laboratories capable of performing a range of chemical and biological tests.>>>snip

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1310771.stm

[Mr. McD]

9. Just remember.