Water bending technique can guide floating objects with remarkable precision

In a nutshell: Researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have demonstrated the ability to manipulate water waves, allowing them to precisely control objects floating on the surface. If perfected, the technique could pave the way for using waves in new and exciting ways. The idea was inspired by earlier work involving light that was conducted by Shen Yijie. A co-lead on the new project, Yijie realized that light and water can both move as waves and wondered if what they had accomplished with light could also apply to water. Early research involved using computer simulations to see if the idea was even feasible. Confident it would succeed, they moved on to real-world lab experiments involving small vats of water and various objects like foam balls and ping pong balls. By manipulating the frequency and magnitude of the waves and adjusting whether or not they moved in step with each other, the team was able to hold the balls in a stationary position or move them alo ... Read full article.