From science fiction to reality: A chip controls matter without touching it https://www.futura-sciences.com/en/from-science-fiction-t… Sound has always been something you hear. At Virginia Tech, it is now something you can use to pick things up. Researchers there have built an electronic chip that generates acoustic waves precise enough to trap, steer, and move microscopic particles and fluids without making contact with them. Their findings were published in Nature Communications in December 2025. https://stacker.news/items/1455272