Arx Pax and NASA are working together, through the Space Act Agreement, to create one of the first generations of tractor beams.
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It is not every day that we can say that humanity is creating the future of Star Trek. Hoverboards are now a reality, as is virtual reality and more advanced computer worlds. Now Arx Pax, the company behind the Hendo hoverboard andMagnetic Field Architecture (MFA) technology, with the help of NASA have started working on their version of a tractor beam.

Greg Henderson, co-founder and CEO at Arx Pax said, “Our collaboration marks a significant milestone for Arx Pax. It’s exciting to work hand-in-hand with NASA’s brilliant team of scientists and engineers. We’re thrilled about the potential impact we can make together.”

Initially, this device will help with the efficiency of micro-satellites, like CubeSats. The ‘tractor beam’ is able to both attract and repel objects. This would provide NASA the ability to move objects around in space without needing to either grab onto them or providing a spacewalk to grab them.

The idea behind this first generation tractor beam is to use a magnetic tether between the object and the source of the tractor beam. Using this tether, that is generated by something like a CubeSat you would be able to manipulate an object. However, specifics on how this new technology will work haven't been fully revealed.

As with any new technology, the cost to develop such a new and novel device is not yet known. Likewise, with any new technology, it will take some time to develop a physical model that will be robust enough to actually deploy.

Given enough time, it will be interesting to see how Arx Pax's tractor beam project pans out. As well as seeing how many other pieces of Star Trek technology come to fruition.

What are your thoughts on the continued development of technology from Star Trek?

WRITTEN BY ZACH MCCAULEY | ZACH
EDITED BY CALLIB CARVER | KRAZIYK - CALLIB.CARVER@UFPLANETS.COM