And it is better than magic:
Physicists said they can create "incredible levitation effects" by manipulating so-called Casimir force, which normally causes objects to stick together by quantum force.
The phenomenon could be used to improve the performances of everyday devices ranging from car airbags to computer chips, say Professor Ulf Leonhardt and Dr Thomas Philbin from Saint Andrews University.
Casimir force -- discovered in 1948 and first measured in 1997 -- can be seen in a gecko's ability to stick to a surface with just one toe.
Now the British scientists say they can reverse the Casimir force to cause an object to repel rather than attract another in a vacuum.
"The Casimir force is the ultimate cause of friction in the nano world, in particular in some micro-electromechanical systems," said Leonhardt, writing in the August issue of New Journal of Physics.
"Micro or nano machines could run smoother and with less or no friction at all if one can manipulate the force," he added.
And he added: "In order to reduce friction in the nanoworld, turning nature's stickiness into repulsion could be the ultimate remedy. Instead of sticking together, parts of micromachinery would levitate."
4 comments:
Great. But they need a catchy name for it. If they can't refer to it by a name at least as cool as "buckyballs," it will never catch on.
Geez... I remember buckyballs...
How about Wingardium Leviosa?
They don't seem to say how they "reverse" the casimir effect. It's magic, I guess.
I'm skeptical unless it's confirmed.
Would it help if the head scientist's last name was Dumbledore?
(Can you tell I've just finished the Deathly Hallows?)
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