The Invisible Man? Kinda. 183
A lot of people have written in regarding the announcement from scientists at the University of Texas @ Austin discovering "invisibilty". Well, sort of. What it does do is make small areas of skin (humans have not been tested) transparent for a short amount of time. By transparent, I mean 2 mm of transparency - not exactly enough to make me Inside Out Boy. Yet.
Cosmetic surgery (Score:2)
"Oh darling you have such lovely kidneys"
As Keanu Reeves would put it ... (Score:2)
Well, Hell (Score:4)
I thought this was years old ... (Score:2)
timothy
10 mm (Score:2)
10 mm = 1 cm. That's enough to see blood vessels, bones (in many places), and all sorts of other fun stuff that lies beneath the skin. You won't be IOB yet, but you'll have a fun time grossing other people out.
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The Obvious Application (Score:2)
Invisability (Score:1)
Yeah, there's the medical one (which is covered in the article) allowing doctors to see 'below the skin', but there is also the possible military usage. Perfect it to get somebody totally invisable and you've got a damn good killing machine... What other usages (apart from being able to see what you had for dinner) are there?
Richy C. [beebware.com]
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Developed for the team (Score:3)
It's being secretly tested on pigskin, as well.
Hook 'em.
This could be a great mugger deterent (Score:5)
Mugger jumps out and demands money, you say something scary in Latin, then say "Your soul is mine mortal", add a cackly laugh, give your self a quick injection and your skin turns transparent.
You wouldn't get the aformentioned mugger out of a church with crowbars.
Bob.
Re:Invisability (Score:1)
Sounds cool, but not too usefule (Score:3)
an invisible person would be blind (Score:2)
see ya!
Am I the ONLY one? (Score:4)
This sounds neat as hell but without pictures it just lacks something.
The visible man... (Score:2)
"Hey, Jenny McCarthy, I see you like the model B45XL, also."
Vote [dragonswest.com] Naked 2000
Myth dispelled (Score:1)
We are more than 6 degrees away from Kevin Bacon.
This technology is useless... (Score:1)
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Drug users (Score:2)
Even the samurai
have teddy bears,
and even the teddy bears
Yeah, sure (Score:1)
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Duh... (Score:1)
Let's read the article before we post it (Score:2)
I know this has been discussed many times before, but do they even read the articles they post? It's just a couple millimeters, not 10. Where the hell did 10 millimeters come from anyways? Slashdot has been pretty bad on getting the facts right recently. I expect better that this.
Fabulous Business Future (Score:3)
20 years from, all these inked Gen Y'ers are going to pay big bucks to make their tattos go away, and these guys are going to rake it in 8)
ahhh well (Score:2)
Ahh well we can only imagine!
Just like all new technology... (Score:5)
Remember the first DVDs you saw on display at your local computer show? I'd bet that they were all pornos.
This is going to be used to make a new level of disgustingly graphic porno.
"New from 'Wet Spot' entertainment a new exclusive, 'Inside Ron Jeremy's ballsack", it's sure to educate while it entertains"
LK
And when this goes mainstream.... (Score:3)
...as it certainly must, because it doesn't sound as if it requires much in the way of expensive equipment or specialized expertise, then I can see some interesting developments:
Just a couple of thoughts.
-TBHiX-
Side Effects (Score:2)
"Well, Bob. It looks like we won't need to make your skin invisible to check in on that tumor anymore. The patch above the area in question appears to have fallen off this morning."
Sandidge
Aha! (Score:1)
$ cat glycerol > /dev/mouse
So that's what Joanie's been crying about all morning, chasing her tail, trying to get into the cupboards....
b&
Just think... (Score:1)
It could revolutionize the movie making industry as well. Think of the money they can save on expensive makeup for some characters as well as some of those CGI effects like you see in Hollowman....
This is not a new discovery (Score:5)
Re:ahhh well (Score:1)
-J
wonders of science (Score:3)
Perhaps the aliens will no longer resort to anal probes quite so often now that they can see what they need from the outside. You would not even want to see one of their "medical devices". Ouch, and I mean OUCH! Sometimes I think there might be something wrong with those aliens IN THE HEAD!
-konstant
Yes! We are all individuals! I'm not!
Re:This technology is useless... (Score:1)
I think it's more likely to help you look through naked women, which is not so very useful.
Implications for cryonics (Score:3)
But explicit cryonic research tends to be done on a shoestring - because it isn't all that popular, and many of the suspendees need to put the resources they allocated for it into funding the suspension.
So (like most technologies) cryonics tries to get as much of a boost as it can from research done for other purposes.
This skin-transparency research has obvious medical applications, and the researchers are already talking about testing the toxicity of glycerol. This will no doubt lead to a lot of research into that, and a search for other, less toxic, chemicals that can infiltrate cells and smooth the refractive index to increase transparency.
Some of these are likely to be good candidates for cryonic preservatve agents, and thus this research should lead lower-damage preservatives, both for tissue banks and for the cryonic life-extension movement.
Simple technology (Score:5)
I think they are just doing index matching. Glycerol has an index of refraction close to that of water. Since cells are mostly water, filling all the inter-celluar areas with something of similar index will allow rudimentary index matching to be accomplished. With the index of refraction much closer throughout the volume, scattering will be much reduced, allowing better light propagation, and consequently, better imaging results.
This process is commonly used to test moderately polished glass optics, by immersing them in an oil of equivalent index. Since it's usually bad form to inject living things with mineral oils, a different substance was needed: hence glycerol.
To observe the effect:
- Take a clear piece of hard plastic
- Rough one or both surfaces (sandpaper is good)
- It should now be translucent or even opaque depending on how much you damaged the surface.
- Immerse in water. You should be able to see through it much better.
Anyhow - that's my guess on the basics of this technique.
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http://movies.shoutingman.com
Re:10 mm (Score:4)
You know you're a geek... (Score:1)
OK, I'll crawl back into my little hole now.
Re:Just think... (Score:1)
Though, it doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun.
- W
New Moderation Functionality Request (Score:1)
I vote this one "overrated", "offtopic", and "stupid."
less need for voluntary radiation (Score:2)
Birthday suit (Score:1)
This will bring a whole new realm of weirdness to your average nudist colony.
Re:Developed for the team (Score:1)
it gives a whole new meaning... (Score:1)
Re:Invisability (Score:1)
But then, if they did this to the eyelids, say, in some nasty furrin country's jail, it'd play merry hell with getting to sleep
Re:This technology is useless... (Score:1)
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The Nude Bomb (Score:1)
What we really need is a substance that can make 10mm of clothing invisible for short periods of time.
Pfft (Score:2)
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Oh my god, Bear is driving! How can this be?
You mean a TRANSPARENT person would be blind (Score:3)
How does this apply in this case? One example: Make my entire body except my retinas transparent. Who's going to notice a couple of dime-sized disks floating in the air, especially if the background is patterned?
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Re: Let's read the article before we post it (Score:1)
- W
Re:an invisible person would be blind (Score:1)
You just need to make sure that you use the right combination of glass materials so that the film is not exposed until photo time, and that the lens performs adequately. (to help out your design - look to catadioptric lenses: they are solid glass lenses).
Of course, now, the camera is probably no longer transparent
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http://movies.shoutingman.com
Sort of the opposite of invisible then.. (Score:1)
Re:Invisability (Score:1)
Re:Developed for the team (Score:1)
Re:Invisability (Score:2)
If I remember correctly, the military is working with a technology known as Active Caomouflage. This system would allow a soldier's uniform or a tactical vehicle's camouflage netting to analyze the light signatures of the surrounding terrain and mimic these signatures thus integrating the soldier or vehicle into the surrounding area. There is an army Submission of Proposal for this technology. Read about it here [osd.mil]. From what I understand, the candidate would wear a special suit lined with fiber optic cabling which would dynamically integrage the wearer into his surroundings. There was also a special on the Discovery Channel last year about this technology but I can find no reference to the programme on their website.
Re:Myth dispelled (Score:3)
Centigrade or Fahrenheit?
Vote [dragonswest.com] Naked 2000
Re: Let's read the article before we post it (Score:1)
Now introducing!!!! (Score:1)
Ewwww....
Re:Cosmetic surgery (Score:1)
Re:Simple technology (Score:3)
Note that glycerol (glycerin) is relatively non-toxic (it's been used in food for decades) and fairly quickly metabolised by the body (the effect is short-lived, provided you're alive).
Re:I thought this was years old ... (Score:2)
Actually, you were. But only to the really cute girls who wouldn't have gone out with you anyway.
This will be easily remedied when you go IPO.
slashdot effect (Score:1)
Damn you Slashdot! Damn you Slashdot!
Re:You mean a TRANSPARENT person would be blind (Score:1)
EHA
Re: an invisible person would be blind (Score:1)
What about dermatoligists? (Score:3)
Oh, wait, that's a baby alien... cool.
Vote [dragonswest.com] Naked 2000
Re:Not tested on humans yet? (Score:2)
Few people know this, but the Crusades were actually tested on animals before being used on people. There test runs involved waging war against an army of mice holed-up in a mouse-size walled city. They found they could defeat the mice (tied to full-size sabres, for the sake of realism) with minimal fatalities, and thus gave the go-ahead for the move to the real Crusades. Though the actual war-waging didn't go as easily as it had in the tests, they found that the "rape and pillage" portion of the Crusade worked much better than it had with the mice.
Re:This could be a great mugger deterent (Score:1)
Re:Implications for cryonics (Score:1)
It's a plot ... (Score:3)
Shhh, don't tell anyone.
Re:Myth dispelled (Score:1)
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Finally, the first reasonable reply (Score:1)
I had a similar thought when I saw this. They've been experimenting with glycerol and some additives to get the refractive index to match the intercellular R.I. Then they can see subcutaneous features with a non-invasive look. Just another tool in the doctors kit.
the AC
Re:ahhh well (Score:2)
Re:You mean a TRANSPARENT person would be blind (Score:1)
Why not (Score:1)
Re:And when this goes mainstream.... (Score:3)
Can you imagine what the body-art and tattoo people would be able to do with this stuff? Particularly in light of the fact that it is non-permanent? Raves featuring people displaying "invisible motifs" suddenly come to mind. Or how about a "floating tattoo", regular ink on invisible skin?
Because it'd probably be reckless without adequate testing
Because it'd be likely to cause all kinds of nasty infections
Because it could possibly result in sunburn in usual internal locations
Mostly for all of these reasons and more it's gonna be a hit and everyone will be doing it!
Our skin is actually a big bag that God gave us to keep all of our stuff in.
Vote [dragonswest.com] Naked 2000
In other news... (Score:2)
Unreal Tournament Scientists? (Score:1)
Re:Duh... (Score:1)
New sign of rebellion for adolescents ? (Score:1)
Re:And when this goes mainstream.... (Score:1)
Inject it into your dick! See yourself cum! (Score:1)
Re:And when this goes mainstream.... (Score:2)
IANASA, but there's an infinite number of covert channels [robertgraham.com] available via the internet that would allow for instant communication that's almost undetectable, so I don't know why they wouldn't use something in meatspace that's slow and more detectable.
Finally! (Score:3)
"No it's not!!!"
Kevin Fox
You mean this? (updated to include Hollow Man!) (Score:2)
Vote [dragonswest.com] Naked 2000
Not high-quality science (Score:2)
This is translucency, not invisibility. It might win the high school science fair, but it's not worthy of an announcement on Slashdot, IMO. I wonder if this is just spoofing the press.
Thanks
Bruce
Re:You mean a TRANSPARENT person would be blind (Score:2)
Veteran Quake players, of course.
Re:And when this goes mainstream.... (Score:2)
Set up an email account in norway that forwards everything to Russia. Send encrypted emails to the bouncer.
Or hide a message in some cutesy pictures and send them with a message that says "Here's some pictures from my trip, I'm having so much fun, I miss you".
Or send some perl code that, when run with the "I'm a silly goose" piped to STDIN, prints out the message via some many weird calls between subroutines. The email it's attached to says "Here's the code update you asked for. Sorry it took so long, Vlachko's module had some weirdness in it."
Disclaimer: I realize that not all spies are Russian.
Already done it... (Score:2)
Other ways to become transparent (Score:2)
Why don't they make clothing out of fiber-optic cables? The cables would run around the body with small signal loss. Light would go in one side and out the other, making the wearer fairly transparent. I've heard this from other sources, I can't say I thought it up.
I'd rather be able to take a shirt off than be stuck with transparent skin.
"Uhh...so is this going to wear off?"
Re:You mean a TRANSPARENT person would be blind (Score:3)
Two problems: First, you'll need to make the lenses an cornea non-invisible (ie: maintain the refractive index they currently have) or you won't be able to focus. Second, you'll need to have significantly more of your eye be opaque, or you'll go blind from all of the stray light. (plus, you wouldn't be able to see clearly, since far more light would be hitting your retinas from the sides and back, than through the lens) An added disadvantage is that with invisible eyelids and hands, it'll be somewhat difficult to block your eyes from bright lights.
Re:Invisability (Score:3)
Use it on a pregnant woman, and you wouldn't need ultrasound to watch the fetus, who would have the side benefit of getting a womb with a view.
Re:You mean a TRANSPARENT person would be blind (Score:2)
Wrong. It means that light is not absorbed as it passes through you. If you need a demonstration, look at a glass of water. If you can't see it, you need to turn the lights on. Transparent != invisible. To be invisible, you need 1) not to absorb any light, and 2) to match the refractive index of your immediate environment.
This whole "invisible man" thread came up on sci.optics recently. The best response to "is an invisible man possible" was "Yes: cremation" (I'm paraphrasing.)
Other potential agents besides glycerol? (Score:2)
BTW, all of these agents also happen to be cryoprotectants.
Re:Other ways to become transparent (Score:3)
1) How to arrange the fibers to cover the body? You need to capture any light incident light with a certain position and angle and route it to where it would propagate had there not been a body in the way.
2) There would likely be significant signal loss problems. High efficient fiber coupling, such as used for telecom requires good optics and precision positioning. This is because
2a) A small portion of light incident on the front glass surface is reflected away (think glare on a monitor screen) so you want make efforts to reduce that.
2b) Fibers have a maximum input angle for incident light, above which the light is lost during propagation through the fiber. This angle is ballpark 30.
2c) Finally, ray orientation will be lost during propagation through the fiber. Thus, output direction != input direction. That may be a problem.
2d) Transmission properties are wavelength dependent. Not a huge deal, but another minor factor.
3) Finally, optical fiber bundles used for imaging, such as in endoscopes, are known for their mediocre image quality. Fibers are not generally a good tool for analog image transmission.
Ok, class over
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http://movies.shoutingman.com
Antifreeze (Score:2)
Nope. That's for cars, and it's neurotoxic. Preserving the brain is the most important part of Cryonic suspension. Indeed, most suspendees are head-only, hoping for a replacement body or a fully-regrown body with brain downloaded with data extracted from the old brain.
Glycerol is one of the chemicals that has been used for tissue. (I don't know if it's part of the current protocol, or of the one that they've used to freeze rat hearts to liquid nitrogen temperatures and get them to beat when rewarmed.)
See the back issues of Cryonics magazine to track the technology.
Re:Let's read the article before we post it (Score:2)
Does this mean... (Score:2)
FISH (Score:2)
Re:Finally! (Score:2)
Nelson: "Hey Bart! Your epidermis is showing!"
*Girls and boys in pool laugh at Bart, who is situated on a tree branch about to dive into the pool*
Bart: "Wha!? Huh!? Ahhh!"
*Bart screams as he falls; cut to Nelson talking to Kearney*
Nelson: "See, your epidermis is your hair. So technically I'm right. Excuse me.."
*Nelson walks to edge of pool*
Nelson (pointing at Bart): "Ha Ha!"
Sorry for the OT post
Contrast enhancement (Score:2)
Re:The Obvious Application (Score:2)
Re:Thare aint NO dang UT in Texas, try UM OT (Score:2)
The things you bring up are nice, cute and whatnot. However, the University of Tennessee began in 1794. When was that college in Austin formed? If it was before UT then it would be UMexico, wouldn't it?
Why must UM insist on using orange and white? Those are the UT Knoxville colors, that were around ages before Texas was emancipated from Mexico, with the strong assistance from some prominant Tennesseans.
There is no denying that the University of Mexico, Austin has had some stellar academic achievements, but the initials UT were in use about a century before your 2nd largest state in the union was even thought of.
Visit DC2600 [dc2600.com]
Re: Let's read the article before we post it (Score:2)