Researchers at University College London have demonstrated a technique for levitating small objects using sound waves in the presence of an interference object.

Waves fired upward can lift objects but also be easily nullified by anything which comes between it and the target.

Simple explanation of their solution - rather than just firing waves upwards they're fired from multiple directions and computers adjust for interference objects.

The image here shows four particles and a projection screen with video.

That's slightly interesting in its own right but potentially significant in relation to the emerging metaverse.

At the beginning of the year many major publications ran stories claiming that PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi had snubbed the idea of the metaverse.

In truth he didn't snub the idea of it at all.

Rather he was dismissive of the publicised approach being taken by many of the major players.

Specifically VR headsets.

He hinted that he was working on something better - repoducing "digital scenes in the real world" - and promised to share his vision this year.

We regarded his claim as intriguing because it spoke to the possibility of previously unrevealed advances in technology.

How else could he make that promise?

He and his company may have made their own advances with something like this sound wave technique and a Star Trek style holodeck may be more imminent than we previously imagined.

[ Main Image: Sound wave screen levitation. Credit: Science Advances 2022 - Hirayama et al via YouTube. ]

References

Hirayama, R., Christopoulous, G., Plasencia, D. M. & Subramanian, S. (June 17, 2022). High-speed acoustic holography with arbitrary scattering objects. Science Advances.

Science X: Phys.org, Medical Xpress, Tech Xplore (June 20, 2022). Keeping objects levitated: High-speed acoustic holography. YouTube.

Yirka, Bob (June 20, 2022). Keeping objects levitated by sound airborne despite interference. Phys.org.