Invisibility Cloak One Step Closer to Reality

Posted 08/11/2008 at 10:56am | by Paul Lilly

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The boys and girls at Berkeley are at it again, but this time they're working on an invisibility cloak, which could turn out to be one of the greatest inventions ever, right up there with X-ray goggles and other nifty gadgets we used to read about in the marketing section of yesteryear's comic books.

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated they were able to cloak 3D objects using artificially engineered materials that redirect light around the objects. Prior to the demonstrations, cloaking has been limited to thin 2D objects.

The technology works using materials known as metamaterials to deflect radar, light, and other waves around an object. These metamaterials consist of mixtures of metal and circuit board materials (ceramic, Teflon, or fiber composite), and scientists continue to try and find ways of using them to bend light around obstacles.

Uses for cloaking technology include the obvious military applications, and as such, the research was funded in part by the U.S. Army Research Office. But not only do scientists have to fine tune the concept, but manufacturing the required materials on a large scale also poses a problem.

Do you think we'll ever see a full-fledged invisibility cloak in our lifetime?

Image Credit:  Universal Pictures