Star Trek fans have reason to be excited. Anyone who is familiar with the series or movies will remember the Enterprise's tractor beam--that big ray of light that could pull objects towards the ship. Scientists now have a real working model, albeit much smaller. It won't be tugging Klingon ships across space anytime soon, but it's a start.

The hollow laser beam, developed by scientists at the Australian National University, is able to move small pieces of glass more than 1 meter across a table. The hollow part of the beam is where objects are picked up, and the ring of heat keeps the object centered, knocking it back towards the center if the object starts drifting to the edges.

Since it relies on superheated gases -like my ex- to work, it's pretty much useless in the vacuum of space. (My ex is just a vacuum of a person's will to live.) It does have its uses though -the laser, not my ex. Engineers and researchers are already using the technology to manipulate parts in the construction of miniscule precision machinery and move tiny particles of dangerous diseases without having to actually touch them physically.
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