Virginia Tech University Scientists have invented a novel electronic chip that generates acoustic waves capable of moving objects without touching them, like “invisible grabbers.”
Although other methods for moving objects without touching them already exist, the new approach is the first to generate waves directly on the chip capable of manipulating individual objects or fluids without direct contact.
The research team behind the new design believes their acoustic wave-generating chip could benefit scientific and manufacturing processes that rely on moving objects without physical contact, including micro robotics, nanoengineering, and customized drug manufacturing.
According to a statement detailing the acoustic wave-generating chip, Virginia Tech University Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Zhenhua Tian and his team were intrigued by the idea of generating acoustic waves capable of moving objects without touching them. However, when evaluating previous approaches, the team found that the actual generation of the waves was acting as a limiting factor in the approach’s practical applications.
For example, the current standard for producing acoustic waves on electronic chips is an interdigital transducer (IDT). But according to the research team, IDTs do not produce “highly customizable curved and overlapping waves” needed to trap and move objects, including fluids, without touching them.
“Think of it like trying to move a ping pong ball with the flat of your hand; you can roll it along a surface, but you can’t pick it up and freely move it,” they explained.
Funded by a 2024 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Tian and his team worked to develop a chip that can generate crisscrossing acoustic waves, which can be tuned to work together like invisible grabbers. This meant reimagining the wave transmitter’s shape and redesigning the electrodes that create the energy waves emanating from the chip.
After evaluating potential designs, the team created several versions based on the required scale. Tian’s team said this included designing acoustic wave-generating chips that operated at different power levels, and generating waves “with different energy profiles.” The new designs also enabled customization of the waves’ phase distribution, allowing previously unavailable tilting, curving, and harmonizing of acoustic waves.
“This new collection of mechanisms came together on an electronic chip, an all-in-one instrument that, with a few adjustments, could make long jets of acoustic energy with more range and power than a traditional IDT could,” they explained.
Along with creating a new chip capable of moving objects without touching them by generating customizable acoustic waves, the team said they also developed an all-new metamaterial in the process.
When discussing potential applications for their customizable acoustic wave chips, the researchers suggested wave routing, fluid and particle manipulation, and other microengineering applications. These include applications in noninvasive surgery, biosensors, and microfabrication.
“The work has significant potential in the medical field, where acoustic wave chips could play a role in noninvasive surgery or do the work of a centrifuge, pulling particles from blood,” they explained.
Tian and colleagues are continuing to refine their designs while exploring new potential applications for an acoustic wave-generating chip that can move objects without touching them, “making a wide horizon for the future of the technology.”
“[The] chip is more than just a new kind of fabric or a new flavor of ice cream,” they concluded. “It is engineered with materials and acoustics that can reshape acoustic energy to change its function.”
The study “On-chip phased interdigital metamaterials enable versatile manipulation of surface acoustic waves, microfluids, and micro/nano-objects” was published in Nature Communications.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.