Cloak of invisibility now a reality

[sciwriter]

In the 1960’s, some of the stories that I wrote for the comic book character: “Noman” were published. Noman was an android with a cloak of invisibility:

www.shadoesword.com/page7.html

Today, scientists created a cloak of invisibility. Carl:

Video:

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/

Article:

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061019/ap_on_sc/cloak_of_invisibility

Scientists create cloak of invisibility By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science
Writer
Thu Oct 19, 7:36 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Scientists are boldly going where only fiction has gone before — to
develop a Cloak of Invisibility. It isn't quite ready to hide a Romulan space
ship from Capt. James T. Kirk or to disguise
Harry Potter, but it is a significant start and could show the way to more
sophisticated designs.

In this first successful experiment, researchers from the United States and
England were able to cloak a copper cylinder.
It's like a mirage, where heat causes the bending of light rays and cloaks the
road ahead behind an image of the sky.
"We have built an artificial mirage that can hide something from would-be
observers in any direction," said cloak designer David Schurig, a research
associate in Duke University's electrical and computer engineering department.
For their first attempt, the researchers designed a cloak that prevents
microwaves from detecting objects. Like light and radar waves, microwaves
usually bounce off objects, making them visible to instruments and creating a
shadow that can be detected.
Cloaking used special materials to deflect radar or light or other waves around
an object, like water flowing around a smooth rock in a stream. It differs from
stealth technology, which does not make an aircraft invisible but reduces the
cross-section available to radar, making it hard to track.
The new work points the way for an improved version that could hide people and
objects from visible light.
Conceptually, the chance of adapting the concept to visible light is good,
Schurig said in a telephone interview. But, he added, "From an engineering point
of view it is very challenging."
The cloaking of a cylinder from microwaves comes just five months after Schurig
and colleagues published their theory that it should be possible. Their work is
reported in a paper in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
"We did this work very quickly ... and that led to a cloak that is not optimal,"
said co-author David R. Smith, also of Duke. "We know how to make a much better
one."
The first working cloak was in only two dimensions and did cast a small shadow,
Smith said. The next step is to go for three dimensions and to eliminate any
shadow.
Viewers can see things because objects scatter the light that strikes them,
reflecting some of it back to the eye.
"The cloak reduces both an object's reflection and its shadow, either of which
would enable its detection," Smith said.
The cloak is made of metamaterials, which are mixtures of metal and circuit
board materials such as ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite.
In an ideal situation, the cloak and the item it is hiding would be invisible.
An observer would see whatever is beyond them, with no evidence the cloaked item
exists.
"Since we do not have a perfect cloak at this point, there is some reflection
and some shadow, meaning that the background would still be visible just
darkened somewhat. ... We now just need to improve the performance of cloaking
structures."
In a very speculative application, he added, "one could imagine 'cloaking'
acoustic waves, so as to shield a region from vibration or seismic activity."
Natalia M. Litchinitser, a researcher at the University of Michigan department
of electrical engineering and computer science who was not part of the research
team, said the ideas raised by the work "represent a first step toward the
development of functional materials for a wide spectrum of civil and military
applications."
Joining Schurig and Smith in the project were researchers at Imperial College in
London and SensorMetrix, a materials and technology company in San Diego.
The research was supported by the Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research
Fellowship Program and the United Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council.

[bescheid]

carl

This is very interesting...Strangly this particular topic came across on an update info topic of yesterday. If perchance a person is familiar with the rules of light as a photographer, then it becomes very simple to understand the rules of light. For what we perceive as vision, is only the reflection of light upon any given object. If the light is absorbed or bent around the subject, then we will not see it as a visual sense.

A manner of overcome of this short comings of visual senses, is to change frequencies of reception to another spectrum speed. More or less of that of changing radio reception frequencies to a different band.

Charles

[jimpres]

Charles,

That is why it is difficult to detect some US planes they absorb the EM transmission and do not reflect back to the sender.

Jim

[bescheid]

jimpres said:

Charles,

That is why it is difficult to detect some US planes they absorb the EM transmission and do not reflect back to the sender.

Jim

It is strange of today Jim, the shifting of priorities and requirements of technology.

Some years back, the German firm of BASF had developed a metal coating finish composed of Carbon/Iron/powder in a polymer base for aircraft as a heat dispenser coating. And in the process, found it also absorbed broadband radio energy. The process of absorption, was transfered into heat, and the heat was then absorbed into the airframe for dissipation into the slip stream as very fine heat trace.

Then the concerns of passive air anomaly arose as a ugly head to be detected by microwave technology.

There just is a never ending line of concerns and worries to worry about, as it would so seem. So seems the worrier will worry about another worry that is worrying about the same concern.

Charles

[leslie]

Sometimes I think my car has a cloak of invisibility, albeit it is silver - cars cut in front of me, cars slide into a parking space I was waiting to go into, people step out in front of me and so on. Have I a magic car?!!
Leslie (or maybe too many magic mushrooms!)

[bescheid]

leslie said:

Sometimes I think my car has a cloak of invisibility, albeit it is silver - cars cut in front of me, cars slide into a parking space I was waiting to go into, people step out in front of me and so on. Have I a magic car?!!
Leslie (or maybe too many magic mushrooms!)

How well do I understand. Quite some time in the past, I owned an MG that was mallard green, it was listed as British racing green. I have not a count of the many times of near misses from head on crashes; this of vehicles passing on the straights and with with the MG coming their direction. Figured it out finally not long before selling the darn thing. Most of the incidents occurred on Sunny days, with tree shadows crossing the road ways. The green MG simply blended in to the surrounding landscape; with the other driver becoming only aware. after a considerable amount of light flashing from my end, and with fairly often a high speed dash over the the shoulder gravel accompanied with a high pucker factor.

My earlier Austin Healy was an excellent little auto, but, I think the British labour people came to work drunk on the same day the MG was built. The defects in the assembly work was just simply outstandingly rotten. And the mis-machined front end suspension parts were with some that had been mis-machined and left for some one else to have corrected; that some one else was me.

But, both the Healy and the MG brought fun and adventure in motoring. And not to mention, the red healy was a date getter.

Charles

[leslie]

Charles
A good description of why your little green car had a cloak of invisibility. Surprised in a way that you found so many faults with the MG - they had a good general acceptance that they were well built cars. But, and I should imagine that it is also the same in the States - we call certain cars Monday morning or Friday afternoon cars. At these times the car constructors are at their least state of awareness as you can imagine.
I have a Ford Focus Zetec which is now 6 years old and - touch every piece of wood available - all it has required in that time is a new clutch, which is probably due to my style of driving, as I had to have a similar job done on a previous car!
Good driving
Leslie

[piwo]

This cloak of invisibility is really old hat. I had it as early as high school. I wear it around the house frequently. In high school, I was about as invisible as a person could be (especially to the "fairer sex".. I've always wondered about that term. They never seemed all that "fair" . But I digress.. Being the only male in my home, my clothes must be washed in the magic invisibility elixir: nobody seems to hear a word I say!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[kaima]

I just finished up my first test, and have to head back to Radio Shack for some more parts. This first attempt seems OK for summer, but after a discussion with the model and with winter coming on I have to get it to work on the clothing as well...




;D

[sciwriter]

Guys, thanks for the information. Carl

[sciwriter]

Kaima, have you seen the movie: "The Invisible Man" based on H.G. Wells' novel? Carl:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisible_Man