Andrews can show that it's more than just theory: the two have successfully created an optical field that flipped the usual pressure and started pulling objects toward the light.

ENGADGET: Researchers build a working tractor beam, on a very small scale

Beneath the carpet is a mesh of optical fibres that detect and plot movement as pressure bends them, changing the light detected at the carpet's edges.

BBC: 'Magic carpet' can detect or even predict a fall