Yeah, I've thought about a tractor beam as well...
You certainly wouldn't want to copy star trek, but you might not be able to get away from that...
Everyone kind of knows what it's "suppose" to look like. It has a faint glow that might flicker on and off...at least that's how I picture it.
You would also want the sound effect to go along with the special effect, ya know? They would need to "meld".
I do like the idea, though!