A new study has demonstrated how ultrasonic waves can be used to transport electricity through the air and around obstacles.
The formation of electric sparks is chaotic, with branches splitting out in random directions.
The path of the electrical current is guided by subtle differences in air density and charge, and attraction to conductive materials, such as metal. For these reasons, electricity is difficult to precisely control. Take a lightning bolt, for example.
However, a new study has demonstrated a way to guide electric sparks through the air. Researchers at the University of Helsinki, the Public University of Navarre in Spain and the University of Waterloo in Canada have shown how ultrasonic beams can direct high-voltage sparks.
The researchers claim that the method allows sparks to be directed so precisely that they can bend around obstacles, and hit specific spots on a material even if that material isn’t conductive.
Asier Marzo, lead researcher from the Public University of Navarre...