Why can't we use magnets to levitate small objects like in Harry Potter or Star Wars? [closed]

Question

In Harry Potter there is a spell which allows a person to levitate an object at will around a room. In Star Wars, Jedi mind control allows you to do the same thing. I'm surprised that no one has tried to replicate this sort of levitation using magnets: the levitating of a small object at eye level with the ability to control where the object moves. Of course we use magnets to levitate things like Maglev trains, and many children's toys use magnets to make objects float. But levitating an object in a controlled manner several feet above the ground is quite different.

I don't see why this is so hard to accomplish? Suppose we constructed a room with powerful electromagnetics embedded in the walls, floor, and ceiling. We have some metal object which is placed in the room. When the electromagnets are turned on, the object floats several feet above the ground. By manipulating the magnetic field (using a computer), a technician outside the room can control the movement of the object at will. Now, it's easy to see why this particular setup is extremely costly, but I imagine something similar could work?

Ideally, we want a person in the room to control the object himself (not using a computer). Perhaps we can make a glove with powerful magnets embedded in it. The strength of the magnets can be manipulated by closing or opening your hand.

I'm sure this sounds very childish and naive. I haven't considered the relevant physics yet, but I don't see why this would impossible in principle. Whether we can do this cheaply is another story.

Answer 1

We can, actually

I recall this little frog being levitated using a (somewhere between 1-100 Tesla) magnetic coil using diamagnetism about a decade or more ago. There he is:

Water is diamagnetic, as are many good conductors. So frogs and more recently, small mammals, have been levitated.

Material           χv (× 10−5)
Superconductor      −105
Pyrolytic carbon    −40.9
Bismuth             −16.6
Mercury             −2.9
Silver              −2.6
Carbon (diamond)    −2.1
Lead                −1.8
Carbon (graphite)   −1.6
Copper              −1.0
Water               −0.91

More relevant to your question, there was a spinning-stabilized toy patented in the 70s and more recently, there are commercially available solutions such as the Levitron for low weight objects in a limited range.

Heck, you can build one yourself with a few magnets.

Answer 2

There is a significantly better way to do it than magnets, a way that's already being done.

Acoustic Levitation

As you can see in this video, small objects can be made to levitate and move around by controlling the amplitude and frequency of the ultrasonic waves.

Acoustic waves are just pressure waves, by bouncing the waves between two plates objects can be suspended in the low pressure nodes.

You can build simple ones at home with an ultrasonic transducer from ebay. This is a significantly cheaper way to get the same effect as magnetic levitation.