Whether it is gravity-defying phone chargers or human-floating tractor beams, we’re suckers for levitating technologies. A new Kickstarter campaign therefore hits our sweet spot with an “executive novelty” (read: a high-priced desk toy) that levitates water droplets entirely for your viewing pleasure.
Called LeviZen, the retro-styled device itself is crafted out of high grade walnut wood and precision-machined aluminum with the necessary audio technology to float drops of liquid using high frequency sound waves not audible to regular ears. It also boasts some in-built LEDs to make sure the water droplets are properly illuminated so as to look their best. No, it doesn’t have any practical applications, but it certainly promises to be an attention-grabbing conversation starter.
Unlike the majority of levitating gadgets we’ve written about in the past, LeviZen doesn’t use magnetic levitation to achieve its effect, due to the fact that this would not work with a liquid like water. Instead, it opts for sound-based acoustic levitation, which adds an unusual element to a product that’s joining a crowded levitating marketplace.
“With LeviZen, we want to bring the ability to levitate liquids by acoustic levitation to the masses,” a spokesperson for Simplistyk told Digital Trends. “Acoustic levitation is a complicated phenomenon, but to explain it in simple words, it is achieved by having two inaudible sound sources facing each other and outputting the same frequency at each other, which causes the waves to collide and form a standing wave. [As a result], we get the stationary nodes with high amplitude waves above and under them. This causes water to be trapped in the node sections.”
As with any crowdfunding campaign, there are risks attached to backing LeviZen. If you do fancy adding an extra gadget to your home, though, you can pledge money for a unit on Kickstarter. The inventors have already more than doubled their $15,000 funding target, with more than 40 days still remaining on the clock as of this writing.
The price set for a single unit is $199, which includes the LeviZen Liquid Levitating Machine, a power adapter with both U.S. and international plugs, and a custom liquid dispenser. Shipping is set for July 2018.
