TinyLev Is an Acoustic Levitator You Can Build at Home

Acoustic levitation is an interesting phenomenon: it takes advantage of the fact that sound waves carry mechanical energy in order to exert…

Cameron Coward
7 years ago

Acoustic levitation is an interesting phenomenon: it takes advantage of the fact that sound waves carry mechanical energy in order to exert force on an object. In this case, that force is directed against gravity to make the object levitate. Unlike magnetic levitation, acoustic levitation can be used on a wide range of materials (even insects), though it is a weaker force.

Unfortunately, experimenting at home with acoustic levitation has traditionally been an expensive endeavor requiring a great deal of technical expertise. The equipment required is pricey, and needs to be calibrated to what material is being levitated. Simple things like environmental factors (such as temperature or humidity) can easily throw off that calibration.

Luckily, a team of researchers at the University of Bristol have developed new techniques, and even a relatively inexpensive device design, that makes acoustic levitation attainable for amateur scientists. The design uses off-the-shelf parts, like an Arduino and commonly-available transducers, and can be fabricated at home if you’ve got a 3D printer.

The transducers are arranged in two arrays — one on the bottom of the “chamber” and one on the top. Together, they create a trapping field, capable of levitating substances that fit within an ideal density range (somewhere between 0.5 g/cm3 and 2.5 g/cm3). The researchers were able to keep these substances in stable levitation for more than 2 hours.

The purpose of the TinyLev is primarily for the scientific research of the substances or objects being levitated. But, it would definitely be a fun project for makers, and would be a great education tool for physics students. Further experimentation by amateur physicists may even lead to better results, like the ability to levitate objects with higher densities.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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