UK invents new method for making 3D composite sound fields

British scientists have invented a new method of manufacturing 3D composite sound fields-acoustic holograms, that is, using 3D printers to make plastic negatives. Manufactured sound fields that are more than 100 times more precise, faster and less expensive could help improve medical imaging and drive new applications of ultrasound. In theory, sound, especially ultrasound, can be used as a non-contact method to manipulate objects in liquids and air. But current methods generally require an array of transducers, similar to speaker devices, responsible for converting electrical signals into sound. Great care is taken when connecting them together for control to create the desired 3D sound field, and there are several limitations to the scale and complexity of the generated sound field. An engineering paper published in the British 'Nature' magazine on September 21, 2016, reported a new method of manufacturing a 3D composite sound field-acoustic hologram, that is, using a 3D printer to create a plastic negative, the sound field produced can be The non-contact manipulation of objects in liquids and air is more than 100 times more precise, faster and cheaper than sound fields made with current technologies, which could help improve medical imaging and drive new applications of ultrasound. This time, Pierre Fischer, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany, and his colleagues simply generated an acoustic hologram. They used a 3D printer to create a plastic negative that, when placed in front of a single transducer, was ready to go. Change the sound waves to create the desired sound field. In experiments, the researchers used the acoustic hologram system to force particles suspended in water to converge to form an image similar to a flying dove of peace. The researchers say the system can be used to move objects in liquids along specific paths, or to suspend droplets in the air. The authors propose that their acoustic holograms enable the rapid fabrication of composite sound fields suitable for super-resolution imaging, localized heating, and personalized medicine. In a News u0026 Opinion article accompanying the paper, Adrian Nield of Monash University in Australia said that with a simple experimental setup, the researchers created a very sophisticated acoustic hologram that can be used not only for Manipulating micro-scale objects will also have great potential in the medical field.