If you’ve ever tried to retrieve an object that’s floating away in a lake or the ocean, then you’ll know how frustrating it can be, trying to draw that item towards you. According to research recently conducted at The Australian National University (ANU), however, it’s possible to move such objects in whichever direction you wish – as long as you can generate the right type of waves.
The research team experimented with a table tennis ball floating in a wave tank. By precisely manipulating the size and frequency of three-dimensional waves created by a wave generator, they were able to keep the ball in place, move it away from the generator, or even towards it – in the case of the latter, the ball was actually moving against the waves that were traveling out from the generator.
via Gizmag
