'Invisibility Cloak' Created Using Crystals 98
Zothecula writes "The quest to build a working 'invisibility cloak' generally focuses on the use of metamaterials – artificially engineered materials with a negative refractive index that have already been used to render microscopic objects invisible in specific wavelengths of light. Now, using naturally occurring crystals rather than metamaterials, two research teams working independently have demonstrated technology that can cloak larger objects in the broad range of wavelengths visible to the human eye. PDFs of the two similarly named research papers are available through arXiv.org."
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The tend to show up once or twice a month.
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Whoosh!
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Erm... No, I really don't.
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Total and COMPLETE negative refraction is impossible. Masking a selection of wavelengths is not. This is about fooling the human eye, not 'true' stealth tech which indeed violates the second law of thermodynamics.
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look for heat distortion in the air. they are not 100% invisible.
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But all those geek Creds lost about how they had a pink object that was invisible.
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Yeah seriously, is it Friday already? People seem to just keep reinventing the invisibility cloak, and then losing their prototype.
By now you'd think we'd be tripping on stacks of the damn things.
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no idea why you got downranked, I laughed... just no mod points to unfuck your rank.
Won't do you any good (Score:1)
If the refraction of the light prevents you from being seen, it will prevent you from seeing as well.
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Key phrase: as well.
I don't need to see all that well - a pinhole-sized camera would rival most of the lower-quality videos you'd find online, while still being relatively invisble. And the sound quality should be pretty good too...
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If you have the pinhole camera, why do you need to be there too?
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If the refraction of the light prevents you from being seen, it will prevent you from seeing as well.
Key phrase: as well.
I don't need to see all that well - a pinhole-sized camera would rival most of the lower-quality videos you'd find online, while still being relatively invisble. And the sound quality should be pretty good too...
"as well" == "also" == "too"
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"as well" == "also" == "too"
I knew that, of course, but I wasn't about to let it stop me from making my point.
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Caution! (Score:2)
'Relatively' invisible may not be good enough. In this book [gutenberg.org] the main character was invisible except for his retinas. H. G. Wells had thought it out, if light didn't interact at all with his eyes he would be blind.
There was a moment when he was discovered because someone noticed those two tiny spots moving around.
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I'd be content enough to only see infrared light while I was "invisible" - as a bonus I hear it passes through lightweight cotton fabric pretty well.
Much better (Score:2)
Tile the outer wall of the women's changing room with calcite. That will render the wall invisible from the outside so you will be able to look in.
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See what?
I have actually seen this working the the University of Birmingham. It's impressive, but it's small.
A video I saw on my local BBC news the other week too: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12338447 [bbc.co.uk]
One cheat code down (Score:2, Funny)
Now to work on "God Mode"
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One mission down.
Now find the Targoid mothership.
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I dunno (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I dunno (Score:4, Funny)
I can't point out what's so exciting because I can't see it, duh!
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From reading the article I get mostly that it's done all with Mirrors and prisms essentially.
It is actually slightly more sophisticated than that. They use the birefraction properties of calcite to bend the light rays in such a way that the exiting light has the exact same position and direction as if there were no wedge at the bottom. A simple mirror/prism assembly can not do this. It will either shift the beam or tilt it slightly.
The reason you see the wedge in the picture is because of lousy polishing. The tip of the wedge is not perfectly sharp.
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From reading the article I get mostly that it's done all with Mirrors and prisms essentially. Maybe someone else can point out what's so exciting about this?
My DOG, man! Can't you see the fantastic possibilities that will open up once they start adding SMOKE to those mirrors?
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Because they did it with only mirrors, no smoke was involved.
Invisible? (Score:2)
Nothing to see here, move along...
To quote somebody smarter than me (Score:2)
"I'll believe it when I see it."
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This thread is worthless without pics (Score:5, Funny)
Here's one:
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I see what you did there.
I don't.
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Nice, that beats the shit out of using asterisks. Check it out, I copied and pasted your post from above and then put my password underneath:
hunter2 beyotches!!!
Hmmm (Score:1)
Stupid harry potter. (Score:4, Funny)
screw the invisibility cloak! Give me Stealth Camouflage!
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Screw the invisibility cloak, give me a girdle of giant strength!
How does this affect me? (Score:3)
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Are we any closer to our goal of being able to sneak into women's locker rooms undetected?
You already can .. all it requires is a minor sex change operation. Unless of course you already are female.
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Are we any closer to our goal of being able to sneak into women's locker rooms undetected?
You already can .. all it requires is a minor sex change operation. Unless of course you already are female.
A: He is on slashdot, of course he is male.
B: Minor?
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Life Imitates Art (Score:1)
This is so Inspector Gadget...
Magicians (Score:2)
Am I the only one who's thinking that this technology will most quickly adapted for stage magician acts?
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Probably. Magicians rely on much simpler effects than this. Most magic tricks have stupidly simple gimmicks.
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True. In most cases redirecting people's attention is easier then photons.
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Well, some magic tricks are stupidly simple, yes. But others are extremely intricate and involve great deals of engineering and foresight. I'll use this as a simple example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewef620ptj4 [youtube.com]
Given the money involved in big acts, I still wouldn't be surprised.
"CRYSTALS were integral!" (Score:2)
Does anyone else think of "Doctor Dinosaur" from Atomic Robo when reading this article?
http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/24/free-comic-book-day-2009/ [nuklearpower.com]
Crystals of Dihydrogen monoxide (Score:4, Insightful)
Around here at this time of year naturally occuring crystals can cause objects to disappear., especially in high winds. In some cases even after the wind has subsided, things can remain hidden by being covered with a layer of these 6 sided crystals. There are 2 solutions, wait until the temperature increases and the crystals melt, or to use a shovel....
magic (Score:2)
This is the same type of 'invisibility' preformed by magicians: i.e. mirrors.
Did somebody actually get a grant for this work?
Hmmmmm (Score:2)
Disinformation? (Score:2)
My initial reaction was Bunk! Disclosing the details of a technology so obviously useful to DoD would border on treason. There seems to be room to speculate the PR is disinformation.
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You sir, are an idiot.
I don't know what world you think you live in, but the DoD doesn't go around imprisoning people for treason because they talk about something they invent. Unless they are under contract not to do so, and even then it wouldn't be treason.
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"You sir, are an idiot."
It's possible. Thanks for pointing.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I think (Score:1)
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The high school physics isn't missing. It's only hidden by an invisibility cloak.
calm down, everyone, it's just calcite... (Score:2)
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(skip to 2:45)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRL9IVvuNl8 [youtube.com]
That was incredibly unimpressive (Score:3)
OK. I guess that's one way of defining invisible.
So I can't see the pink material... I can still see the wedge of reflective material covering it. By this definition, I could throw a blanket over it and - 'poof' - it's invisible...
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Prior art ! (Score:3)
I could throw a blanket over it and - 'poof' - it's invisible...
But there are two thousand years of prior art on that technology...
Here [amotherinisrael.com], invisible women.
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I, for one, would like to.. (Score:2)
This is AWESOME! (Score:2)
Only one thing to add... (Score:1)
My Time Machine (Score:1)
Suck it, Einstein.
not just crystals (Score:2)
150 crystals AND 150 gas.
METH! (Score:2)
Yes invisibility crystals... Excellent!