DailyDirt: Invisibility Cloaks For Fun (For Now)

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Cloaking devices have been a part of science fiction and fantasy for ages, but so far, no one has really developed an invisibility cloak that works "like magic" without using some tricks that limit the effect to novelty illusions. Researchers are working on the problem, and there have been a few significant advances that are definitely getting better. Check out these videos to see how advanced physics is creating things that aren't quite indistinguishable from magic (yet).

• You can achieve some pretty nifty optical illusions with just a few standard lenses, such as this cloaking setup that looks almost too simple to work. There are also some simple things you can do with mirrors, but they're not quite as impressive because they only work under certain narrow conditions. [url]
• Metamaterials are getting some attention for their ability to create curious optical effects. Some metamaterials are nanocomposites that have been known since ancient times, but newer materials (with a negative index of refraction and other artificial properties) can be designed to create more controlled optical illusions. [url]
• Controlling light refraction can create a "cloaking" device of sorts that doesn't rely on lenses or mirrors or strange metamaterials. Simple prisms can be set up like mirrors and lenses, but the drawback for these kind of devices is also a limited range of viewing angles. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: cloaking device, invisibility, magic, metamaterials, nanocomposites, nanotech, optical illusions, refraction