Tweet
No, not a joke.
NBC Cosmic Log....
NBC Cosmic Log....
Real-life twist for sonic screwdriver
Add the sonic screwdriver wielded by TV's favorite Time Lord in Britain's hit sci-fi series "Doctor Who" to the list of seemingly far-fetched gadgets and technologies wending their way to gift boxes in the real world.
The sonic screwdriver on the little screen is truly a remarkable device-- helping the Doctor do everything from opening doors to detecting land mines and controlling the space-and-time-travelling vehicle called TARDIS.
The device under development by engineers at Bristol University is more mundane than the fictional sonic screwdriver, but it's still impressive. It uses ultrasonic waves, which are beyond the scope of human hearing, to apply forces to objects.
Bristol University says the ultrasonic wave generator is already being tested as a manufacturing tool to put parts together and, in the medical field, to separate diseased cells from healthy cells. The engineers are now figuring out how to spin the ultrasonic waves to create a twisting force similar to a tornado, which they say could be used to undo screws. Rotating ultrasonic fields could also act like the head of a real screwdriver.
"However far-fetched the Time Lord's encounters may seem, there are engineers and scientists out there who are using their skills to bring the magic to life," Professor Bruce Drinkwater, who is developing the technology, said in a news release.
>
>
Add the sonic screwdriver wielded by TV's favorite Time Lord in Britain's hit sci-fi series "Doctor Who" to the list of seemingly far-fetched gadgets and technologies wending their way to gift boxes in the real world.
The sonic screwdriver on the little screen is truly a remarkable device-- helping the Doctor do everything from opening doors to detecting land mines and controlling the space-and-time-travelling vehicle called TARDIS.
The device under development by engineers at Bristol University is more mundane than the fictional sonic screwdriver, but it's still impressive. It uses ultrasonic waves, which are beyond the scope of human hearing, to apply forces to objects.
Bristol University says the ultrasonic wave generator is already being tested as a manufacturing tool to put parts together and, in the medical field, to separate diseased cells from healthy cells. The engineers are now figuring out how to spin the ultrasonic waves to create a twisting force similar to a tornado, which they say could be used to undo screws. Rotating ultrasonic fields could also act like the head of a real screwdriver.
"However far-fetched the Time Lord's encounters may seem, there are engineers and scientists out there who are using their skills to bring the magic to life," Professor Bruce Drinkwater, who is developing the technology, said in a news release.
>
>