Scientists created a mini Aladdins Flying Carpet using nothing but light
Human ingenuity knows no bounds and the world's mini "flying carpet" is proof of that.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Scientists created a mini Aladdins Flying Carpet using nothing but light', 311 Institute, 6 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/scientists-created-a-mini-aladdins-flying-carpet-using-nothing-but-light/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
In the past year we’ve seen dramatic improvements in the development of both light and sound based tractor beams that can make objects dance in mid air and even be used to thread needles which, as the researchers behind these innovations say, could one day be used in robot surgeries. And now researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have managed to levitate two small plastic plates using just light.
With the energy from a set of bright LEDs in a vacuum chamber, the team coaxed two tiny Mylar plates to hover, a bona fide breakthrough, Wired reports, because scientists have never before been able to cause an object that large to float using light alone.
Miniature flying carpets for miniature people
“When the two samples lifted, there was a gasp between all four of us,” UPenn engineering doctoral candidate Mohsen Azadi told the magazine.
However, if you’re hoping to pick up a light-powered magic carpet from Amazon anytime soon you’ll have to keep waiting because the team are more interested in using this technology to research the mesosphere, a high-up region of the atmosphere that’s notoriously difficult to study.
“Sometimes it’s called ignorosphere, in joke,” Igor Bargatin, a mechanical engineering professor at UPenn, told Wired. “We just don’t have access to it. You can send a rocket for a few minutes at a time, but that’s very different from doing measurements using airplanes or balloons.”
With the recent breakthrough, though, researchers hope to develop a flight system that can carry tiny sensors into the mesosphere using the light-powered hovering technology.
Even NASA is interested in the technology’s potential applications in Mars research, especially since the pressure in the Red Planet’s atmosphere is similar to Earth’s mesosphere, leaving open the possibility that tiny, light-powered levitators could help collect temperature and composition data.
“You can just take off once per day, and go up and then come back down and land on your little Martian lander,” said Paul Newman, chief scientist of Earth Sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “We don’t have that information on Mars. That would be fantastic.”
What this means for your organisation
Light can now hold weight.
Researchers floated two Mylar plates using only bright LEDs in a vacuum chamber. Scientists had never before floated an object that large with light alone. Tractor beams that use sound, light or other forces are rated at a technology readiness level of 4, so this is still early work.
The first use is sensing.
The team wants a flight system that carries tiny sensors into the mesosphere, a region that is hard to study. NASA is also interested for Mars, where the air pressure is similar. Autonomous sensor systems, which sense change and react on their own, are the natural partner for this kind of platform.
Treat it as early research.
Tractor beams are listed with wide use around 2031 and an action of Explore. Earlier work on beams has pointed to uses such as robot surgery, which makes robots a related area to follow. Leaders should track the research and avoid committing budget to products.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our data gaps could tiny, floating sensors fill?
- Who in our team is tracking tractor beam research?
- What would we need to test before a light-powered sensor was useful?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Human ingenuity knows no bounds and the world's mini "flying carpet" is proof of that.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 6 March 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Scientists created a mini Aladdins Flying Carpet using nothing but light. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/scientists-created-a-mini-aladdins-flying-carpet-using-nothing-but-light/
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