Scientists Say They've Almost Perfected Cloak Of Invisibility
Monday August 11, 2008
It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, a movie or a comic book. But scientists are sure they can make it happen and are on the verge of what some once thought was just a figment of your imagination - invisibility.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley claim they've nearly perfected a cloak that would allow light to 'bend' around an object, rendering it almost undetectable to the human eye.
The scientists used artificially engineered materials around a number of three dimensional objects that redirected the light source elsewhere and made them almost impossible to see.
Normally, objects scatter light that bounces off of them, allowing you to have a good look at them. But the new inventions, dubbed 'metameterials,' are a combination of the elements that make up things like Teflon and circuit boards. And they boast properties that don't reflect that light in the same way.
If there are no shadows and the light doesn't come back, the theory is that you simply won't be able to see what surrounds it at all.
So what would such an invention be used for? It may not surprise you to find that like many technological advances, the military is partially behind this one, hoping to find a tactical advantage in war.
It's too soon to say if the application will ever be practical or cheap enough to mass produce, but it brings up all kinds of dilemmas, including for thieves, businesses trading on secrets - and young teenage boys in girls' school change rooms.
Still, with experts so close, it appears it could become a reality sooner than later. Which means one day, you literally might not be able to believe your eyes at what science has accomplished.
