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Science

Invisibility Cloak Created In 3-D 113

Posted by kdawson
from the can-you-see-me-now dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Scientists have created the first device to render an object invisible in three dimensions. The 'cloak,' described in the journal Science (abstract; full text requires login), hid an object from detection using light of wavelengths close to those that are visible to humans. Previous devices have been able to hide objects from light travelling in only one direction; viewed from any other angle, the object would remain visible. This is a very early but significant step towards a true invisibility cloak." The "object" hidden in this work was a bump one micrometer high. The light used was just longer than the wavelengths our eyes detect. To get a visible-light cloak, the features of the cloaking metamaterial would need to be reduced in size from 300 nm to 10 nm.
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Invisibility Cloak Created In 3-D More

Invisibility Cloak Created In 3-D

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  • Re:Diplomatic Nightmare (Score:3, Interesting)

    by hanabal (717731) on Friday March 19 2010, @11:58AM (#31539072)

    just leave a pinhole in the cloak and put a camera there. then wear a hud that displays the image.

    If someone looks straight at you in the right direction, they might see a tiny floating black dot. Even if they do notice it, they will most likely believe its dust or something

  • Re:What good could come from invisibility? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by hanabal (717731) on Friday March 19 2010, @12:03PM (#31539202)

    the ability to watch the military or police without fear of them beating you half to death just for watching

  • Re:Diplomatic Nightmare (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Shrike82 (1471633) on Friday March 19 2010, @12:05PM (#31539256)

    Being invisible sounds ok, until you realize that with perfect invisibility you will be effective blind. That will end non military uses you had in mind.

    Blind in the visible light spectrum, which would still leave you with sonar, radar, possibly IR and UV if the material very selectively blocks the visible light portion of the EM spectrum. Not to mention the possibility of maintaining links to remote cameras and other visual/information sources using data transmitted ion wavelengths way, way outisde the visible light spectrum.

    So yes, as a Harry Potter invisibility cloak this would suck, but as a Start Trek cloak this would be awesome.

  • Re:Diplomatic Nightmare (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Sethumme (1313479) on Friday March 19 2010, @12:44PM (#31539954)
    Unless you were trying to evade sonar, radar, IR, and UV detection too.

  • Re:What good could come from invisibility? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Belial6 (794905) on Friday March 19 2010, @12:56PM (#31540172)
    If it only works in a limited spectrum, cell phone towers. The Neo-Luddites that make up stupid excuses to try to fight the existance of cell phones often use the "Eye Sore" excuss to try to stop antennas from being put up. This would put an end to that. Of course, it would probably lead to a whole new argument of "Invisibility gives you cancer".

Computer programmers do it byte by byte.