And another step closer: Real life TRACTOR BEAMS

[spinnerlys]

I just found this article on BBC News, it seems lasers can not only push, but they can also pull:

A laser can act as a "tractor beam", drawing small objects back toward the laser's source, scientists have said.
...
Rather than a science fiction-style weapon, however, the approach would only work over small distances.

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12620560

But it seems it will take some time, of course, to implement it into the starships we are yet to built.

 

[publiusr]

Lasers can also be used to manipulate at small scales

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/laser-light-can-lift-tiny-objects/

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/real-live-antilaser/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/02/18/scientists-create-the-worlds-first-anti-laser/

Some of my thoughts on the subject:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/8...e-the-worlds-first-anti-laser/#comment-650432

 

[KJbushway]

Yeah I saw that article and swept it aside. Scientist need to stop claiming that its any where close to star trek tractor beams. A lot of different things pull other things toward it. I won't get to giddy until I see a mid-size version that doesn't take an hour.
On a better note. It looks like they are stratching at the surface of a new field of science expirementation.

 

[Scientist_MAD]

I have a patent for a thermonuclear fusion reactor (currently being examined by the USPTO) that uses an acoustical tractor beam and a sensor that is based on Geordi LaForge's tachyon detection grid, which uses multi-occultation triangulation as its method of detection.
Sensor Array: http://home.centurytel.net/bubbles/Details.htm#0092
Tractor Beam: http://home.centurytel.net/bubbles/Details.htm#0105

 

[Ronald Held]

I thought that a tractor beam is graviton based(in Trek).

 

[publiusr]

Lets hope for the best...