Watch a Water Droplet Dance in a Field of Sound

We all know that music has the power to make us move— Drake providedan excellent demonstrationof this principle earlier this week. But researchers at Clemson University have shown even water droplets like to get their groove on (under the right conditions, of course).

ProfessorJohn R. Saylor, who teaches mechanical engineering at Clemson, can make adroplet of water levitate, spin, and form geometric patterns under the influence of sound. Saylor putsthe droplets into what’s called an ultrasonic standing wave field,a high-energy tone that’s farabove the hearing range of humans (although Saylor says that it’d drive a dog bonkers). As the frequency of the waves increases, the droplet formsmore complex shapes— until it disintegrates completely.

Saylor hopes to turnthis discovery into a safety device that removes dangerous coal dust particles from mine shafts by catching them in levitating droplets of water. That’s great for miners, but for the rest of us, he should consider the implications for the dance floor.The human body is 60 percent water. Couldn’t Saylor come up with a device to cure even the most awkward dancers among us of their dad moves? We’d be so grateful.