Physicists have developed Levitation

[wanderer27]

I just ran across this article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...ery-of-levitation.html


Now it's been many years since I had Physics, and I don't think we got into all the "Forces" even at that.

I do vaguely recall reading something about the Casimir force somewhere, but I don't know the details.

I know there are some pretty sharp Eggs on this board, so I thought I'd run this by you all for some opinions

Even if I don't get any answers, this may be of interest to others on here anyway.

 

[firewolfsm]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_effect

As far as I can remember, it only works over distances in the sub-micrometer range, I don't see how we can use it to levitate something large enough to see. But yes, levitating bearings inside a nanomachine might be possible.

 

[wanderer27]

From the Article:

Micro or nano machines could run smoother and with less or no friction at all if one can manipulate the force.? Though it is possible to levitate objects as big as humans, scientists are a long way off developing the technology for such feats, said Dr Philbin.

The practicalities of designing the lens to do this are daunting but not impossible and levitation ?could happen over quite a distance?.

 

[herm0016]

check out the Biefeld?Brown effect also, can make some neat little craft with a high voltage power supply, some tinfoil and some magnet wire.

 

[firewolfsm]

Originally posted by: wanderer27
From the Article:

Micro or nano machines could run smoother and with less or no friction at all if one can manipulate the force.? Though it is possible to levitate objects as big as humans, scientists are a long way off developing the technology for such feats, said Dr Philbin.

The practicalities of designing the lens to do this are daunting but not impossible and levitation ?could happen over quite a distance?.

But this is an article, it doesn't mean it's true, the casimir effect simply can't do that. It could levitate a human 1 micrometer off the ground, but what's the point?

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: herm0016
check out the Biefeld?Brown effect also, can make some neat little craft with a high voltage power supply, lots of tinfoil and some magnet wire.

Fixed for P&N.

 

[iwantanewcomputer]

the wiki article doesnt say the relationship between this force and distance...does it fall off with d squared, cubed?

and why doesnt this keep surfaces from coming into contact at really small distances? it says 1atm at 10 nm, so if its like 100 atm at 1 nm or something...it would make a frictionless surface right?