Applications for the precise three‐dimensional positioning of neutrally buoyant objects include the control of objects in space stations and the containerless processing of materials on Earth. There will be a demonstration of a microcomputer‐controlled system for acoustically levitating an object and moving it to any point within a three‐dimensional volume. The system uses a standing wave field in the vertical direction for levitation and a three‐transducer traveling wave field to displace the object in the horizontal directions via radiation force. Pulse‐echo transducers are used to provide continuous monitoring of position and a Macintosh Hex computer is used to control the position and provide user interfacing.
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