British Scientists Reverse Casimir Effect

An anonymous reader writes "The Telegraph reports that Scientists at the University of St. Andrews have developed a technique to cause the Casimir effect to repel instead of attract. This discovery could lead to near frictionless machines or in theory even levitation."

Oh no!

[Anonymous Coward]

Gasp, that means we will have to repel one of the laws of seance.

uplifting

[bobby1234]

How says science cannot be uplifting.... literally.

Repeal instead of attract.

[Dystopian Rebel]

This could be put to immediate use in the USA, where much bad legislation needs to be repealed and they need to attract fewer blockheads to a career in politics.

Repeal?

[Anonymous Coward]

It can revoke laws?

casmir

[edittard]

I'm not a big fan of knitwear at the best of times.

Hmm

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a feeling that this breakthrough will eventually lead to the development of giant flying mecha.
You heard it hear first, on slashdot.

Finally...

[rootus-rootus]

Soon we can do away with stupid things like elevators..

Re:wait...

[Himring]

You are suggesting that they repel repeal in order to repeal the misunderstanding of repel.

Re:uplifting

[IBBoard]

Depends how you look at it - pessimists will see the lower atom being depressed ;)

Using the force?

[therufus]

Micro or nano machines could run smoother and with less or no friction at all if one can manipulate the force.

Obi-Wan was right after all! I can become a Jedi!

So was it only me that heard Sir Alec Guinness read that line out?

huh?

[apodyopsis]

What is this? a spelling contest or a discussion about a new scientific discovery?

Sheesh. Anybody would think /. is populated purely by obsessive pedants with nothing better to do.

oh..

Re:Requires a perfect lens

[morgan_greywolf]

Oh, well, then I guess we're not going to leave it up the guys who made the original lenses on the Hubble, now are we?

Re:Disintegrators

[asliarun]

What happens if all the molecules in your body suddenly repels eachother?

You will be rudely repealed.

Dry glue? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

[objekt]

"dry glue" effect that enables a gecko to walk across a ceiling.

"Spider-pig, Spider-pig,
Does whatever a Spider-pig does."

Re:ummmm?

[ROMRIX]

i RTFA, but didn't see any explanation or examples. im baffled how this works.. any insight?

It works on the same principle as zits on your prom date.

Re:Finally...

[fthomas]

It's a "lift" you insensitive clod...

Woohoo

[zonestalker]

now where is my hover skateboard?

Re:Disintegrators

[Anonymous Coward]

Total protonic reversal.

Don't cross the streams.

Re:wait...

[Opportunist]

Wouldn't that be repugnant, then?

Re:Dry glue? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

[Carewolf]

"Spider-pig, Spider-pig,
Does whatever a Spider-pig does."

"Can he fly from a web?
  No he can't 'cause he's a pig"

Casimir...

[Rhaban]

I did not know this guy => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_(dinosaur) [wikipedia.org] had a physics degree.

Re:ummmm?

[itsdapead]

im baffled how this works.. any insight?

I assume it involves a cat with a piece of buttered toast strapped to its back...

Re:Dry glue? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

[MyLongNickName]

"Spider-pig, Spider-pig,
        Does whatever a Spider-pig does."

"Can he fly from a web?
    No he can't 'cause he's a pig"

"Look out! He isn't paper trained....."

Re:Disintegrators

[UbuntuDupe]

Or even worse: what if all your *electrons* repelled each other?????

Re:uplifting

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, I've got a chimpanzee here who says uplifiting is total bunk.

From the article

[VitrosChemistryAnaly]

Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate.

Finally that fast talking dude will have a job again!

Re:casmir

[Kohath]

So you're already repelled. When they reverse the effect, maybe you'll be attracted. It will be sweaters every day for you.

Re:huh?

[Ciarang]

You need a capital A to start a new sentence.

miniature giant space hamsters

[Moraelin]

I have a feeling that this breakthrough will eventually lead to the development of giant flying mecha.

Given that the Casimir effect actually produces enough force (well, pressure) at tens of nanometres distances between the two plates, that'll be some really tiny giant mecha ;)

Re:wait...

[MrNaz]

No, the OP was right. They're repealing attraction. Don't know why they took so long, Slashdotters repealed attraction years ago.

Re:I, for one

[somersault]

I've already patented using this technology on skateboard decks, and no, Back to the Future doesn't count as prior art! I didn't get the idea from there at all!

Re:Being British...

[vigmeister]

I've always wondered about what would happen if/when a time machine is discovered. You can patent it only for so many years, but with free travel possible in the temporal dimension, just thinking about a profitable business model makes my head hurt.

Cheers!

In Theory

[j00r0m4nc3r]

I hereby theorize that cramming peanuts into your arsehole will cause levitation.

There, now that I've officially theorized this, I can say, "In theory, cramming peanuts into your arsehole will cause levitation." and it's perfectly true.

Re:Repeal?

[somersault]

Well, it appears it's in the process of trying to revoke the law of gravity

Re:When I hear 'Casimir', I think 'Zero Point'...

[Vulva R. Thompson, P]

I am a physicist, but these subjects are often beyond me. Still, let me try a short explanation.

That's fine. The non-physicists here will gleefully take up the slack.

Casimir effect allows geckos to walk on ceiling

[mrjb]

FTA: "The force is due to neither electrical charge or gravity, for example, but the fluctuations in all-pervasive energy fields in the intervening empty space between the objects and is one reason atoms stick together, also explaining a "dry glue" effect that enables a gecko to walk across a ceiling." ... and now that scientists have figured out how to reverse the Casimir effect, this will soon enable geckos to walk on the floor.

Re:ummmm?

[IBBoard]

That would repel from the floor, but not from another cat with another slice of buttered toast strapped to its back (which is what this can potentially do).

From what I remember of the buttered toast cat, doesn't it end up spinning just above the floor as the cat tries to land feet-first and the toast tries to land butter-side down? If so then why is no-one wrapping these cats in wire, putting them between magnets and throwing them off surfaces en-mass to generate electricity while they spin?

Re:Repeal instead of attract.

[gb506]

This could be put to immediate use in the USA, where much bad legislation needs to be repealed and they need to attract fewer blockheads to a career in politics.

You're so right on, DR! I'm packing my shit up and moving someplace where the laws are all just and the politicos are uniformly uncorrupt and capable. (looks at map, scratches head)

Re:ummmm?

[49152]

Only works with live cats. The cost of feeding and care for the cats makes this uneconomical. ;-)

Re:Being British...

[Minwee]

That should be pretty obvious. The moment that you start to make progress on a working Time Machine, something unfortunate and completely unforseen will happen to stop you from finishing it. Maybe you will just decide to paint bubble wrap red and paint the words 'TENSION SHEET' on it instead.

Because somewhere in the future, somebody has got to really hate having his history messed with.

Re:Being British...

[ichigo 2.0]

Contrary to popular belief, the world does in fact not revolve around money.

That is all.

Re:Disintegrators

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"What happens if all the molecules in your body suddenly repels eachother?"

Okay, that's a good safety tip. Don't cross the streams!

Re:Not a high point in science journalism

[TALlama]

Far from the kinds of stuff you see stage magicians do.

I assure you, Ladies and Gentlemen of the audience, this gigantic crate is levitating! Between it and the stage are entire nanometers of magic.

Re:huh?

[Duhavid]

AI want to start a new sentence. Aso, I need a capital A.
AI did not know that. AI'm glad you were here to point that out!

Abye.

APS:, AWhy didn't your sentence start with a capital A?

At long last...

[Anonymous Coward]

We will finally have Casimir sweaters that will repel lint and pet hair instead of attract it!

I don't see how this is new news...

[illumnatLA]

Slashdot readers have had the ability to repel instead of attract for years!

Re:ummmm?

[evanbd]

It's all well and good until you have to take the cat down for maintenance. Have you ever seen a cat that's been wrapped in wire, strapped to a piece of buttered toast, and spun for 3 days? Let's just say it's not happy.

Re:Repeal?

[Anonymous Coward]

Gravity is a lot like your parents, break the law and you are grounded.

Re:ummmm?

[dmclap]

Actually, the cat will freeze in midair suspended on its side, because in that case, the direction of spin that requires the least work to get the cat/toast to the correct position are in opposite directions with an equal magnitude. So, sadly, it will hit static equilibrium, so you'll just have a crazy floating cat, not a crazy floating power-generating cat.

Re:ummmm?

[hypnagogue]

I assume it involves a cat with a piece of buttered toast strapped to its back...

No, silly! That would be the cat-schmear effect.

Re:In Theory

[mcrbids]

I hereby theorize that cramming peanuts into your arsehole will cause levitation.

Well, I tested your theory, three times.

And I've documented the effects, three times.

I got the same results every time.

No levitation, but I won't be able to sit down for a week.

Re:ummmm?

[Analogy Man]

Check out my e-bay auctions...I will sell you a pair of cat wiring gauntlets - guaranteed to protected you from the savage beasts.

Re:wait...

[russ1337]

>>> the whole world is not American you know

That depends on who is defining "world".

Re:ummmm?

[Kohath]

From today:

Yung Nasteecat use powah of flite [icanhascheezburger.com]

Re:ummmm?

[Genady]

Now if only they'd try this with Edwin's cat. Bam! Superpossition of perpetual motion and non-perpetual motion... Ugh. Head hertz now.

Re:ummmm?

[fyngyrz]

Ugh. Head hertz now.

Don't worry, that's a cyclic effect that primarily appears when posting AC. In your case, it's probably just your sinuses. No need to go off on a tangent. Have a slice of pie and call me in the morning. I'm sure you're feel radiant by then.

indeed

[game kid]

that's a cyclic effect that primarily appears when posting AC.

Indeed. The power of privacy that comes with being an Alternating Commenter can be electrifying but is sometimes a revolting experience. It's sometimes better to take charge and post directly as your user name instead.

Re:ummmm?

[dgatwood]

Don't they mean Schrödinger's cat? It would simultaneously both produce electric current and not produce it until you touched the wire to find out.

Re:In Theory

[Alsee]

Well duh, obviously you didn't use enough peanuts.

-

Finally some recognition!

[Kazymyr]

Hallelujah. My username is finally getting the credit it deserves.

Re:ummmm?

[RationalRoot]

There is no net energy gain here.

The cat, due to the spinning motion dies pretty quickly.

It turns out that the lenght of time it will survive, and thue spin for, is a function of it's body fat.

In short - you are simply using up the stored energy in the cat. No Net Gain.

Simply chucking the cat into a furnace and generating electricity that way would be more efficient.