Watch Scientists Move Discs With Nothing But Light

Making our dreams of traveling via hoverboard a less-distant reality, Japanese researchers have developed a way to move magnetically levitated graphite discs with nothing but light.

Depending on where the light (in the form of a laser beam) is focused, it controls the direction that the disc travels, according to a study by scientists at Aoyama Gakuin University. The laser changes the temperature of the graphite, which alters how the disc interacts with its magnetic field, resulting in movement.

Check out the video, above, to see the disc in action. Whether this discovery is a precursor to Marty McFly-esque hoverboards, however, remains to be seen.

How soon do you think we'll be f…
Continue reading...

More About: research, scientists