Acoustic levitation is not an entirely new concept, but to date, the technology has yet to find a practical application. A former ETH Zürich doctoral student is looking to change this and has presented an acoustic manipulator on his workbench that utilizes this known phenomenon.

Through an ETK pioneer fellowship, Marcel Schuck has successfully demonstrated a benchtop robotic gripper that manipulates small and fragile objects without touching them. The gripper is composed of two opposing hemispheres equipped with an array of speakers. The array of speakers superimposes acoustic waves on top of each other to create pressure points that are capable of levitating and manipulating physical objects as if it were being done by invisible fingers.

The associated software allows the tiny speakers to emit acoustic waves with a controlled frequency and amplitude. By varying the direction of the sound waves, the gripper can manipulate the workpiece and it can also be configured to manipulate bigger or smaller objects by adjusting frequency and amplitude.

Dr. Schuck is in an ideal position as the remaining fellowship money will allow him to assemble a "development kit" for potential clients, comprised of a robotic gripper, control software and instructions. The goal is to have this commercially available through a start-up company in 2021. Potential applications include manipulation of precision watch parts and microchips.