They then take about a twentieth of a teaspoon of the mixture and suspend it between the poles of a powerful electromagnet. The goop settles into a shape resembling a suspension bridge hanging in midair, where the competing magnetic attractions effectively neutralize the tug of gravity. The apparatus also makes it possible to mimic abrupt gravitational changes, such as those that affect a spacecraft when it lands on another planet. For instance, the liquid bridge can be used to simulate the behavior of the fluids that coat the air sacs in the lungs. Rosenblatt says his teamcan even model the disorienting acceleration of fluid in the ear that occurs when a person stands up too quickly.
Magnetic liquid turns from a stiff cylinder to a relaxed blob to simulate different gravities.
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