Could the sonic screwdriver, made popular by Doctor Who, be inching closer to reality? The smart folks over at Bristol University say that a real-life version of the screwdriver could be created and would use sonic technology to open locks and undo screws. The magic behind it is ultrasonic waves that can be used to apply force to objects and such technology is already being tested in modern manufacturing to fix parts together. The engineers are looking into how ultrasonic waves can be spun at high speed to create a twisting force similar to a miniature tornado which could be used to undo screws remotely. If all this research means that we’ll be getting a sonic screwdriver sometime in the future, we’re all for it.
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