Gizmodo Australia » levitation

Levitron Revolution Makes Your Junk Look Awesome In Space

Andi Wang — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:00:00 +0000

For those who have a treasured item you want to display in style, the Levitron Revolution uses some sort of electromagnets—or anti-gravity voodoo magic—that levitates and slowly rotates your prized possession in space.

As long as your collectible weighs around 110 grams or less and is non-ferrous, this device will pick it up, spin it around, and illuminate it with its built-in LED spotlights. Apparently, the Levitron Revolution is not in production yet, but when it becomes available sometime in August, I’m going to get two just so I can put my levitron on display using my other levitron. [Fascinations via BBG via OhGizmo]

Hoverit Lounger: Relaxation Through Levitation

Sean Fallon — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 23:52:13 +0000

The latest in relaxation technology comes to us from British company Hoverit in the form of a handmade acrylic lounger that can hover in mid air. As you might have guessed, the gravity defying aspects of the chair derive from repelling magnetic forces in both the bed and base. Hoverit also suggests that the magnetic forces can “help back, muscular problems and headaches” in addition to delivering a relaxing sensation akin to floating on air. More after the break.

The CAD designed chair pictured here is the first in what will become a series of magnetized floating chairs. Unfortunately, pricing information has not been made available —but think expensive thoughts. That having been said, the least they could do is throw in a cushion. Floating chair or not, the word “comfort” doesn’t readily come to mind when I look at this thing. [Product Page via Trendhunter]

Crealev Floating Lamp Leavens Any Room

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:13:51 +0000

In the future, everything will levitate. Take for example Angela Jansen’s floaty lamp, shown by the Netherlander firm Crealev at a show during Dutch Design Week. (Oh, you don’t attend?) It’s actually the shade that hovers using magnetic levitation over the light-up lamp base, but it’s enough to make you truly believe in magic. Or at least in all those other maglev products on the market, like the photo frame, computer mouse and $90,000 limited-edition sculpture. (And let’s not leave out the SkyMall star, the floating globe). After the jump, there’s a short video clip of the spinning Crealev lamp—and its kid sister, the levitating candy dish—shot by Moco Loco.

[MoCo Loco via Crave]

Physicists Figure Out How To Cause Levitation; Hoverboards Imminent

Adam Frucci — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:45:00 +0000

If there was a cooler movie prop in my childhood than the hoverboard from Back to the Future, Part II, I don’t know what it was. That hoverboard made me really, really want to be living in the year 2015. And while as I got older my pragmatism and cynicism lead me to believe we would definitely not have hoverboards by that time, I might just be proven wrong in the most awesome way possible: by real hoverboards.

That’s because a group of physicists claim to have figured out how to reverse what’s known as the Casimir force, causing objects to repel from each other rather than be attracted. What’s that mean? Hoverboards, bro. So what is this wacky Casimir force?

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.

I… see. Whatever, all that matters is that this could allow for levitation, which is absolutely bananas. [Telegraph]

CATEGORIES: Gadgets, hoverboards, Jaws 19 coming soon, Science