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 A new heating technology via microwaves now makes it possible to drill holes through glass, aluminum, and concrete minus the mess and eardrum-breaking noise. Using heat to drill and cut materials is not a particularly new concept, as lasers are widely being used today. However, lasers cost too much especially for routine engineering jobs and household renovations.
It works like this: the drill bit has a needle-like antenna that emits
intense microwave radiation. The radiation creates a hot
spot around the bit, melting or softening the target material up to 2,000 degrees Celsius, making it easier for the bit to be pushed in and make holes between a millimetre and a centimetre
wide. However, the drill also has its limitations; it can't bore through sapphire (or other materials that have very high melting points) and steel conducts.
 According to inventors Eli Jerby and his
colleagues at Tel Aviv University in Israel, the drill should provide a cheaper solution for a variety of needs (i.e., building construction, geological engineering, etc.) as it significantly costs less than laser-drilling alternatives and is only a bit more costly than your standard power drill.
Don't forget to take safety precautions in using this though; a simple shielding plate in front of the drill should be enough to meet safety standards. And remember to keep the concrete-melting microwave
beam away from the body, lest it heat up any other...uhh...rods that you surely wouldn't want to melt.
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