Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich have successfully used sound waves to levitate small objects. They've put the technology to good use, creating instant coffee by levitating and colliding a small droplet of water with a granule of coffee.
Unlike magnetic levitation, acoustic levitation can essentially work on any object and not just metal materials. The team has also succeeded in hovering a wooden toothpick in midair.
Essentially, the technology can be further developed to even levitate a human, but it could be dangerous as the person might not survive the acoustic forces.
Image: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Watch the video below to see the chemical reaction between a floating droplet of water and sodium.