Student makes 'invisibility cloak'

Tue Aug 09, 2011 11:51 pm » by **Flecktarn**

A student has developed an optical sphere which could be used to create an "invisibility cloak".
Janos Perczel, 22, an undergraduate student at St Andrews University in Fife, said that by slowing down light by way of an optical illusion, the light can then be bent around an object to "conceal" it.
Attempts have already been made to create invisibility cloaks but research shows that efforts are limited because any cloak would only work within certain backgrounds.
But by slowing down the rays of light, Mr Perczel says the cloak wearer can move around ever-changing backgrounds.
Mr Perczel, from Hungary, came up with the idea under the guidance of "invisibility expert" Professor Ulf Leonhardt, who teaches at the university's school of physics and astronomy. The student recognised the potential of the invisible sphere and spent eight months fine tuning his project.
The key development lies in the ability of the sphere, an optical device, to not only remain invisible itself but to slow light.
According to Prof Leonhardt, all optical illusions can slow down rays of light and the sphere can be used to bend this illusion around an object, reflecting off it and making it appear to be invisible.
Mr Perczel added: "When the light is bent it engulfs the object, much like water covering a rock sitting in a river bed, and carries on its path, making it seem as if nothing is there.
"Light however can only be sped up to a speed faster than it would travel in space, under certain conditions, and this restricts invisibility cloaks to work in a limited part of the spectrum, essentially just one colour.
"This would be ideal if somebody was planning to stand still in camouflage. However, the moment they start to move, the scenery would begin to distort, revealing the person under the cloak. By slowing all of the light down with an invisible sphere, it does not need to be accelerated to such high speeds and can therefore work in all parts of the spectrum."

Wed Aug 10, 2011 12:00 am » by **Syntexnl**

ok

Wed Aug 10, 2011 5:12 am » by **Memccool**

source?

Wed Aug 10, 2011 5:47 am » by **Mrmcnuggets**

memccool wrote:source?

Source or not it makes practical sense no matter how you tried approaching it. Seeing how all matter has a frequency emitted which would associate to light (seeing how it's matter and visible.) why would it not make sense to slow the frequency and light down to hide an object. Essentially that is what anti matter lacks to make it the yang to the yin.

Wed Aug 10, 2011 5:53 am » by **Taintedsample**

I would also like to announce that I have a rock that keeps tigers away.

Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:13 am » by **Cia212**

taintedsample wrote:I would also like to announce that I have a rock that keeps tigers away.

That's a little harsh. The guy read something he thought was interesting...can't blame him for wanting to share it.

BTW - Slowing down the light would create a distortion visible against the background, no?

Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:34 am » by **Thetamplar**

Therein is why it would be a good idea to fine tune your senses to detecting presence with the absence of visual aid. As far as proof for the potential of invisibility goes, this developement is certainly not the first technological discovery we have made. The idea of manipulating light has been worked for vehicles and vestments. Now it seems that earlier concepts of invisibility and awareness might not be just a fairy tale born from fears and dreams. And now we know why the Predator shimmers when it moves. :mrgreen:

Wed Aug 10, 2011 9:44 am » by **Iwanci**

Good story, however, I thought the military and others already released cloaking technology?

If you want to know what is available, just look at the movies. Movies are manifestatrions of people's thoughts, thoughts and ideas tend to manifest themselves into reality because a good idea will be developed.

Next in line.... teleportation...

Wed Aug 10, 2011 9:47 am » by **Smokeydog**

iwanci wrote:Good story, however, I thought the military and others already released cloaking technology?

If you want to know what is available, just look at the movies. Movies are manifestatrions of people's thoughts, thoughts and ideas tend to manifest themselves into reality because a good idea will be developed.

Next in line.... teleportation...

u mean the predator suit? that jesse ventura claims to have seen? tbh i dnt actually thing it would be that hard to make something invisable

Wed Aug 10, 2011 9:57 am » by **Iwanci**

Nope, haven't seen the Jesse Ventura one, but a quick google will yield many results, some You Tube vids etc...