To clarify the role of interparticle attraction in engineering situations that involve the handling of powders, three promising new approaches have recently been described. In this review we outline (i) the use of proximal-probe technology to measure forces acting on an individual particle directly, (ii) the modelling of types of force that depend on interactions between dipole layers or ＇＇patch charges＇＇ arising from inhomogeneities in work function, (iii) the role of deformation associated with adhesive forces.