Invisibility Becomes Reality

In our age of technological gain, we seem to be creeping closer to Science Fiction every day. Soon, scientists may be able to make a working invisibility cloak like the one used in stories like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. According to scientists at the University of California Berkeley, certain materials have been developed “that could render people and objects invisible.” (Associated Press) Research is funded by the U.S. Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation’s Nano-Scale Science and Engineering Center.

A demonstration successfully proved they were able to cloak three-dimensional objects “using artificially engineered materials that redirect light around the objects.” The experiment has only been done so far on two-dimensional objects. Xiang Zhang, the founder of this new revelation, will release the details in journals Nature and Science.

This technique could be used for a number of different things, including military control. Scientists are now very close to hiding people and objects from any visible light. Cloaking works by using metamaterials to deflect radar, light or waves around any given object. People see objects because of a certain light that strikes them, “reflecting some of it back to the eye.” The metamaterials are made of metal and circuit board, similar to ceramic, or a fiber composite. It is the only material that can bend visible light to the naked eye by diminishing reflections or shadows.

The sort of geeky playful undertone of the experiment is diminished when you seriously think about the power this device could hold in military and spy warfare. Not to mention if private individuals got their hands on it. There are obvious broad implications to what this “invisible cloak” would be capable of achieving or destroying.

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