Unfortunately, the laser beam won’t work in the vacuum of space. But there are plenty of applications here on Earth, says Rode.
"These include directing and clustering nano-particles in air, the micro-manipulation of objects, sampling of atmospheric aerosols, and low contamination, non-touch handling of sampling materials," he says.
"On top of this, the laser beam could be used for the transport of dangerous substances and microbes, in small amounts."
New tractor beam moves objects a meter and a half
Posted on Sunday, September 12 2010 @ 4:37 CEST by Thomas De MaesschalckTG Daily reports scientists from the Australian National University have created new "optical tweezers" that can move tiny objects over a distance of a meter and a half. It's not as awesome as the tractor beams from science fiction flicks like Star Trek, but it has several useful applications, like micro-manipulation or non-touch handling of samples:
