Physicists have discovered a way to levitate large objects with an acoustic tractor beam and think they will eventually be able to perfect the practice on humans.

Acoustic tractor beams work by using sonic power to capture particles and suspend them in mid-air, but up until now they have only been able to work on small objects.

Researchers from the University of Bristol became the first to overcome that size limitation, paving the way for levitating humans. They created a system of rapidly fluctuating acoustic vortices - basically, tiny sound tornados, with a "twister" of loud sound surrounding an inner, and completely silent, core.

Watch the tractor beam at work:

Would you like to try levitation? Do you think the scientists will be able to perfect the tractor beam to accommodate humans?