Boaz Almog "levitates" a superconductor

www.ted.com How can a super-thin, three-inch disk levitate something 70,000 times its own weight? In a riveting, futuristic demonstration, Boaz Almog shows how a phenomenon known as quantum locking allows a superconductor disk to float over a magnetic rail -- completely frictionlessly and with zero energy loss.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/translate
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[@Manahyde]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." _~ Arthur C. Clarke_

[@hewhohasearstohear9221]

Its just fantasy thx to our greedy 1% oil loveing kings of the human race, R.I.P technological clean energy advancements...

[@eswarchandrapudur9175]

Can I know what kind of disk it is

[@jesselapides4390]

*invents magic*

[@user-qn7mi5sp5i]

7:15

[@user-qn7mi5sp5i]

8:24

[@scwarzewaffe85]

Anti grav racing is just around the corner... Wipeout will soon be a reality!

[@maxieprimo2758]

Who is paying for billions of dollars of sapphire and steel?

[@alexpraddo5780]

Same as who is paying for steel and carbon right now. Us.

[@maxieprimo2758]

I'd be a HUGE jump in taxes if we want any of this built, and nobody wants that.

[@batmandeltaforce]

Cute trick, but obviously this has little to do with anti-gravity... if it did it would float wherever you put it. Gravity is a whole nother force. It is the fabric of the universe.

[@jackyxiao8383]

yeah, sci-fi will not be fiction anymore

[@sikaizhang6767]

This is videoed in 2012, why I just found there’s such a cool thing as Quantum Locking in 2019 and never heard about it before?!

[@timthomson8362]

Because it proves thw flat earth and hiw the sun and moon actuall y work

[@noxlar]

yea wtf.. governments are refusing real life stuff from it?

[@hankyboy42594]

Tim Thomson either you’re a troll or just uneducated.

[@hankyboy42594]

Look up Lexus hover board. They made a hover board that works on this same principle.

[@TheAlchemicalPortal]

@@hankyboy42594 or both

[@nellynelson965]

Well thats arguably the coolest thing ive seen on TED for a long while. The potential applications for this are amazing, even to my limited brain

[@TimReevesy]

***** I always like the vids you comment on, this was fascinating, thanks for leading me to it.

[@MrNatmax]

Let's think about QLock trains or QLock industrial elevators or even better, QLock Highways, I'm just waiting for the time we could make "Syncron Batteries" capacitators tha would be Syncronized in an flux frequency avaliable kilometers from the towers, so everything would be energized just as much as it needs with no cables

[@blackopal3138]

@@MrNatmax - Really dude? You're just going to try and get credit for Nikola Tesla's work on the www? Good luck with that.

[@MrNatmax]

@@blackopal3138 the point was to make someone remember that Nikola Tesla already had this Idea but we just don't have this becauso none have helped him

[@MrNatmax]

@@blackopal3138 We are just rediscovering what he did and thinking about what could we do with that, like he did

[@Roy_Godiksen]

I love TEDtalks. I am so gratefull for this youtube channel. Thanks and respect to all the people who make it happen. From the staff to the talkers.

[@yousorooo]

So where is my hoverboard?

[@SonlangSiek]

I think they're gonna need to make a hover board trail specifically :o BUY ME ONE!

[@mrmeadowsiscool]

Derek Leung as soon as the sidewalks and streets are constructed of magnets

[@yousorooo]

Joshua Meadows The earth is a giant magnet.

[@SonlangSiek]

WAIT! HOW DO WE BRAKE!? We're gonna need to manual stop with friction on the ground or something of that sort right? o.o

[@joshuayang42]

Sonlang Siek To break, add heat to the hover board for it to lose its superconductor properties?

[@AntonioMudge]

F-ZERO WAS THE GAME!!! Great video

[@jordanmcqueen4714]

WE'RE SO BACK

[@RCJakob]

This is absolutely amazing !!!

[@KKrusher]

LK-99 says hello

[@revoluchien]

This is absolutely amazing! i love watching these videos.

[@pandorasnow]

much science, so light

[@MOUNTA1N]

wow

[@PostingIntensifies]

many quantum

[@tristansteinhelfer8083]

Such floaty magnet

[@blackopal3138]

Me Tarzan, you magnet

[@AverageBosnian]

This is so beautiful. I watched it earlier on TV somewhere, and still is awesome.

[@DontTouchMyCroissant]

Could this be used for moving things? I'm sure there's much more incredible uses for this, but the first thing I thought of was putting a superconductor under my sofa and moving it with remote control to my new flat.

[@thomasseils4031]

This is absolutely amazing. From a mechanical engineering stand point my head started into application mode. How to keep the conductors cold, and what could be achieved!!.

[@ExclusiveManual]

This amazing discovery is finally on TED!!!

[@yoppindia]

Have to wait another hundred years to have some practical and economic application!

[@Chizzy941]

yoppindia the magnets in MRI machines are generated by superconductors

[@6rban100k]

Is this good for High end GPU in PC

[@jonybear1691]

you mean liquid nitrogen cooling? yes ofc

[@furious-vengeance]

D-Wave Quantum Micro Processor

[@edal61]

For me, this "quantum locking, not levitation" thing, perfectly explains how UAP's move about.

[@anikyt7570]

Get to see awesome stuff in TED....Thank you...

[@ThabetMarwa]

Feels good to finally understand how the turtle on which the Earth sits is lifted.

[@narutodssunny]

Make F-Zero and Wipe out happen; we have the technology.

[@premed2]

I love our interactions David. I had a friend who thought consciousness was a fundamental part of the universe, but I thought it was an emergent phenomenon. We had a wonderful interaction. I'm sure you will agree that disagreeing can be very agreeable for those intrested in exploring the truth. It is through the interchange of opposing ideas where we grow and learn the most. I have learned much from you, and I have changed some of my positions as a result. No one has a monopoly on the truth.

[@rajah8433]

Wow !! Super ...feature technology so happy to seen. Thanks to uploading sir..

[@alexanderk2294]

Can’t believe this hasn’t been patched yet

[@morgansmart1265]

What did you mean by this ?

[@TheYCrafter]

@@morgansmart1265 obvious. Because we all know the world is a simulation this should have been patched. A glitch in the matrix.

[@morgansmart1265]

@@TheYCrafter lol definitely a glitch in the matrix, this technology is on the verge of serious applications 😁

[@starcrashr]

Does the pinned superconductor and the load attached to it add to the weight of the magnetic base it's pinned to? If I use a disc to pin a car to a magnet like you described, would I be able to lift the magnet with the car as if I were only lifting the magnet, or would it be just as strenuous as lifting the car with it? Does the superconductor pin directly to the magnet, or to the space around itself and only move with the magnet in response to changes in space?

[@TheBratis]

Jane Doe Now that is a REAL question, worthy of such topic. I'd really like to know the answer to this as well. If the superconductor does not add its weight to the magnet beneath... oh, the possibilities....

[@96ace96]

Jane Doe A bit late perhaps, but no. If you want to accelerate mass you need the necessary amount of energy. lifting the magnet would include lifting the car. Just like lifting a rope includes lifting whatever it is attached to.

[@lecobra418]

Except that a rope doesn't obey to the same laws of physics. He said that it was not a repulsion, but a quantum locking, to me it mean that the magnet doesn't support any weight at all, everything is supported by the supraconductor x magnetic field. So it could be possible yet it seems unlikely.

[@96ace96]

Le Cobra No. It isn't possible. If you want to accelerate something, you need to use energy to do it.

[@gojitheyoutuber2261]

It would act like a zero friction suspension that you can use to move along the rail. The rail would have the weight of the car pushing down on the magnetic suspension, by the car would stay locked in the air. The car would still have friction due to air resistance, but it would make it easier to move. Because it doesn’t require friction with the ground, so it would stay in motion with less force. He could not literally hold the car in his hand because the weight has to go somewhere, but he could push the car along if it was on a magnetic rail system.

[@thesupreme743]

Great accomplishment Bro. We are proud once again.

[@musicmix934]

I am from Sudan and a fan of your useful contents. Thank you

[@wuwear1995]

thank you sir. you have just proved how ufo's fly. amazing

[@MikeLevin]

That was my intent ;-)

[@Rimmer7]

Does anyone else suddenly have the urge to play F-Zero GX?

[@SoulGaleo1992]

Rimmer Dall YES 👍

[@argeliozamora1074]

Nahh more like Bioshock Infinite

[@aimansaif2936]

Excellent discription👍👏👏👏

[@tr38bax]

That's amazing... So what are the requirements for the magnet that is supporting the superconductor? That could be an obstacle to weight-bearing activities if the gauze requirement is too high- aside from any cooling issues.

[@himynamesfather]

I wonder if anyone has made a foil nacelle pressure chamber to contain and exhaust that gas.

[@blackopal3138]

Yeah, Geordi Laforge…. but his work was stolen by the Romulans and they had him eliminated, so the only existing one is on Romulus.

[@chriskapitz9816]

Sorry, what gas?

[@robinwersich3424]

so if it can carry so much weight, why is he able to change its position in the magnetic field with so little effort?

[@robinwersich3424]

Yeah ok, that makes Sense ^^

[@teresaGarcia-hu8pi]

Robin Wersich - like a magnet buddy! it's easier to navigate away from its force rather than against it, I often get the impression people are so skeptical about everything. is this a cool trend?

[@robinwersich3424]

teresa Garcia I don't really get your point... But Jwaxenbaum602 already made it clear for me

[@blackopal3138]

@@robinwersich3424 - her point is that she is better than you. peace

[@prutissbartlow8835]

That's a brother speaking LOL

[@salimistery]

wow..i think i just fell in love with that floating disk..! this rocks..!

[@perplexedpuzzled5241]

There is no such term as "quantum locking". It is known in all superconductivity books and papers as flux pinning, which occurs in only Type II superconductors.

[@matijajuric7997]

Old patch

[@AndreasLindful]

Would it be possible to use the magnetic field of the Earth for flying saucers ? Could a bigger conducter ( e.g. 3 Meter) be used for transportion into space for everyone ? At least like the flying cars in the movie: "The Fifth Element" :) Or is the magentic field of the Earth to weak ? Thank you for your amazing speech !

[@blackopal3138]

Now that's using your noggin,lol, love the flying saucer question.... But the magnetic field is out in space. It cannot be accessed on the surface or even from the atmosphere. peace

[@Max_G4]

@@blackopal3138 The Earth's magnetic field can absolutely be used on its surface. Just look at a compass. The problem is just that it's not that strong.

[@blackopal3138]

@@Max_G4 lol, i'm a little surprised that I answered that so definitively, like I would know. Compass is a compelling example. In effect we already have the proof of concept, we just have to start increasing the load capacity. Look at LED 100 yrs later. Never know, pretty cool. peace

[@Lovebug8779]

Thank you for this video. I really enjoyed it despite the fact that as a student I preferred my chemistry classes rather than my physics class.

[@darkmetal101]

This is just amazing!

[@bnewton149]

Bioshock infinite brought me here

[@blackopal3138]

What's more important is what will it take to make you leave 😮 … 😂 I jest... self-entertainment therapy... peace

[@THERE.IS.NO.DEATH.]

it can levitate a small car?...THEN SHOW US THAT.

[@mikewahby]

hey hes showing you the possibilities of the technology this shiz is amazing

[@charlessharpe2121]

+There is no death. How about you show us? Take the responsibility in your own hands before you ask another? If you are not interested, maybe you can do some research and at least show us how its possible? I would show, but people never try to answer the questions themselves. Rather just bark

[@THERE.IS.NO.DEATH.]

Charles B. Sharpe He made the claim that he can levitate a small car, not me, so he should hold up to his claim. That's my point.

[@mikewahby]

if you want to see this tech in real life look at Coral Gables castle in Flordia the oil cartels are shelfing this stuff dude Bozag couldn't even if he could and wanted to show your small pea brained nous

[@THERE.IS.NO.DEATH.]

mikewahby coral castle is made of light weight rock he didnt need to use levitation

[@LoveAndPeaceOccurs]

WOW! Thank You, Boaz Almog for this remarkable information ... you present it well.

[@ExperimentLife]

Outstanding research!

[@Bonerific0]

My name is Jeff

[@blackopal3138]

Hi Jeff.

[@Z0o0L]

finally i know how the pyramids were built in these times thnx^^

[@blackopal3138]

Bang! Missing piece of the puzzle, eh? Good on you, I hope I can figure it all out one day too!

[@Zormac]

Oh I guess I had missed that out! Thanks!

[@jpeckham3d]

Has anyone tried mixing this type of levitation with gyroscopic procession? Maybe this is how ufos move sideways while repulsive against earth's magnetism.

[@theskeletonboi]

You overestimate the earth's magnetic strength. If anything had enough power to push against the magnetic core, it would collapse it in the process. The earth's core is molten, thus in a liquid state, it's magnetic direction can move around quite easily, especially if something had enough power to push against it. Newtons third law prevents something like this from existing, maybe if the earth's core wasn't in a liquid state, but even then, a silly idea to be honest.

[@yaoooy]

I think the most difficult part of having a quantum locked ufo, is to keep it at a low temperature required for the superconductivity state to stay. maybe some alien did it, maybe not.

[@danslik1738]

The sun is a super conductor circling above our Flat Earth☝😄

[@bignoob5838]

are you serious or am i just getting wooooshed here?

[@NishantKumar-li8to]

Flat earthers watch ted!

[@fattyspat]

I wish I knew the date when this talk was given

[@MikeLevin]

Could you swap out the neodymium magnets with electromagnets? And then maybe swap that out for polarized vacuum? Even possible? How many years away?

[@titjentoteborg6869]

WTF!? Nothing new - for 100 years now. Go to your nearest University and listen to a course about superconductivity. The reaction of the audience is kinda ridiculous

[@johnrhoe5653]

The super conductor slowly heats up and begins to loose its properties. It is this change of state that accounts for the slowing you witnessed. And yes, air resistance is part of the answer. There are several variables involved.

[@HeWhoAvoidsTheLight]

that is the coolest thing ive seen so far.

[@nandm9146]

What happens if you put a compass on it? Would the compass arrow indicate north? Or will the compass arrow spin? Can you try it?

[@JaySmith91]

It can be locked at any height. The electromagnetic field lines spread out away from the magnets, so there's a maximum distance where the locking effect can only just counteract the superconductor's weight.

[@TheBeatifulman]

I've never seen it demonstrated. strange considering how impressive it looks.

[@TrebleSketch]

This is amazing ^^

[@PiraticalFox]

That would be amazing. Imagine the applications.

[@sonnybrown4758]

I don't think any of this is new at all, but it is fascinating.

[@umleigoqualquer]

É realmente impressionante, mas tem uma limitação curtíssima de tempo. O disco precisa ser mantido em uma temperatura baixíssima, e esse é o desafio.

[@SotNist]

it would be awesome if various building blocks were like this in the future and you could just assemble free standing buildings that quantum lock into place based on a carefully planned push-pull (vs. each other & pre-existing magnetic fields) schematic. it could lock into an unbreakable form and deflect any force exerted upon it. you could have Thor trying to smash the quantum locking citadel with Mjolnir and knocking himself out.

[@ellemayer3855]

THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!!

[@effricate]

Look the article in Wikipedia about the superconductivity. As far as I remember from school, this effect appears on extremely low temperatures (about 4..77K), so the conductor has to be frozen down by the liquid helium or nitrogen. There is a certain boundary (look at the graph in the beginning) when the common conductor (joking, it's a special fusion) becomes a superconductor. So as the cold plate heats, the boundary is exceeded, and it not a superconductor anymore, so it stops flying and fall.

[@redbeard623]

I wonder what force was slowing down the round magnet spinning demonstration midway through. Magnetic polar resistance?

[@mttdms]

This nearly made me cry, God bless science.

[@user-vv5rf2jm4v]

Can you use the liquid nitrogen in coils inside the ceramics to go around an magnet in a form of a cylinder to constantly keep spinning and levitate

[@shade1978x]

What wizardry is this?! Awesome!

[@adelamanalache6251]

Thank you very much! Je vous aime beaucoup!

[@Htrac]

This is amazingly cool.

[@atticusfinch2600]

"I can't even wrap my head around it!!" - Joe

[@Zormac]

Yes I guess you are right. Thanks for the feedback!

[@WhoYouCantSee]

What was the superconducting disk made of? what material? can it be any metal or material that can withstand the extreme temp?

[@godvexy]

does anyone know which superconducter he used........ Thanks

[@matthewmullin8168]

YBCO on sapphire crystal (sorry for being 4 years late)

[@supermanadamio]

Why is physics so amazing!!!

[@timeisapathwalkingtounderstand]

Thank you for explaining here in New York City 5 in the morning wondering what's a superconductor

[@MillerTime1209]

So why does it fall at about 8:45? Is this due to the superconductor's temperature being raised to above 100K (superconductor jurisdiction) which in turn causes there to be resistance and energy loss? Because if it stayed with no resistance then it should be able to go along the path until someone or something outside the system stops it, right?

[@syahbuljusuf7052]

Terimakasih TED, Sungguh menakjubkan.. Nah, mari berpikir, bagaimana jika masa depan kita membuat superkonduktor dengan ukuran sebesar mobil dan menggunakan magnet bumi sebagai pengganti neodymium magnet??? Masuk akal juga. Sungguh saya tidak sabar menunggu masa depan 😍😍😍😅

[@zsuzsannaszasznemolnar2070]

🤩💖👍🙏 Thanks to the scientists. This is awesome! - Greetings from Hungary.

[@guillermoramos6572]

Cuanto tiempo debe de quedar en el nitrógeno para que funcione

[@sudhirsethi9114]

can anybody tell me please what's the name of the supperconductor used here

[@oliverjamescarr]

Now to find an efficient way to keep all these superconductors chilled...

[@2nd3rd1st]

7:45 That was not the first time this has been demonstrated, he did that a year ago already. But those attendees don't visit KZbin of course. He could speak at an Apple iPad keynote. Same rhetoric, same dramatic pauses. It's magical.

[@nicholasdaviner7249]

Space Elevators. Come hire me to design it. Win or fail, give me that job.

[@bad71hd]

Amazing. Tank u

[@kidmecha]

That is absolutely incredible

[@bewstre]

It makes me immediately wonder about the magnetic field of the Earth and how it "dips in" at the North and South Poles which are the coldest points of course.

[@zionarose5064]

Hi, I have to ask, Where did you get your magnets for the superconductivity track? I'm doing a Superconductivity Demonstration for middle school students and high school students at a local secoundary school and I'd love some input on the materials you would need. Thanks, Matt Freemont

[@limantate1]

umm you need liquid Nitrogen i don,t think a teenager can get a hold of that

[@maxieprimo2758]

With supervision, yes.

[@jamusignoramus]

I was thoroughly impressed by the transcription that Google Captions gave in this video

[@rudy_4ier]

thank you. i must learn to listen more attentively

[@vinhluu7985]

Where can i learn more about it

[@jasminesahni1102]

Hi, can you please name the superconductor material used here?

[@rrosasvette]

There are only certain materials that can become superconductors. There are quite a few metals on the periodic table and alloys that have this ability. The one in this video is a ceramic called YBCO and its transition temperature is 92 K, which is why he can get it to superconduct with liquid nitrogen (77 K). As long as the superconductor stays cool then it will float forever. As it travels around the track though, many sources of energy are heating it up.

[@Zormac]

Oh I was talking about the thicker disk, not the .5 micron one, but I guess it's probably the same disk with something around it. Anyway thanks for the feedback.

[@shahfaisal3923]

You guys are super Heroes for the history of Humanity.

[@dallastx.aggtown3501]

thank you brother!!

[@engalmotaz]

the greates video i've ever seen on the Yotube ...

[@MegaNadir123]

amazing....wish i was part of this

[@AlejandroIrausquin]

You and how many more? I have seen several videos of the phenomenum but not a single one explaing it, until this one. That is what TEDs is about, talking about ideas worth sharing...

[@spindash2023]

wow! I've heard of superconductors, and have seen the "levitation" aspect before, but near the end he said something REALLY interesting, if I understand him correctly... using Quantum Locking, with a 2mm disc, you could lift 1000kilos?? How would that work? That's amazing

[@SpartanTeamLogic]

David Hall I am not sure but I believe that the pressure would still be felt on the magnets; I would still have to lift 1000 kilos if i was levitating a superconductor. That is the main barrier. And the fact that it must be liquid nitrogen cooled (atleast the yttrium barium oxide superconductor, others require liquid helium)