Scientists have been able to use the power of sound to levitate small items — including insects and fish — for decades. But now researchers from Switzerland have figured out how to move objects around in midair, according to a new study.

The breakthrough in acoustic levitation will allow scientists to unlock "a huge amount of applications for this very powerful method," including in pharmaceutical and electronics manufacturing, said author and mechanical engineer Dimos Poulikakos of ETH Zurich, a science and technology university in Switzerland.

The study was published online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.