‘Invisibility Cloak’ Appears At Ted Talks
The gift of invisibility has been the dream of master thieves, special-forces’ operatives, peeping Toms and mischievous pranksters since the dawn of time. From the Predator, the cybernetic ninja Grey Fox, Klingon Birds of Prey, Galen Marek’s Rouge Shadow, and of course Harry Potter’s own magical cloak, fiction has been pushing researchers to duplicate the feat of invisibility for decades.
Baile Zhang from the Nanyan Technological University in Singapore demonstrated turning the dream to reality at TED2013 in Long Beach, Calif. During the TED Fellows Day—a forum where researchers, artists, and developers give four-minute presentations—Zhang stole the show with the miniature prototype cloak.
The cloak is composed of two optical calcite crystals made that—when cemented together—bend light and suppress shadows, hiding objects behind them. During the demonstration, Zhang made a Post-it note vanish, though a larger version could probably hide just about anything. Despite its obvious military applications, Zhang was adamant his invention is “just for fun.”
This isn’t the first time the idea of an invisibility cloak has been tackled. In 2010, an earlier version was considered one of Physics World’s Top 10 Breakthroughs. Other variations have been under development at London’s Imperial College, Duke University and the University of Texas. Way back at the turn of the millennium, Tachi Labs wowed the Internet community with its optic camouflage that worked using a real-time projection system, although the system was too cumbersome and one-sided for practical use.
Zhang’s demonstration could open the door to a more portable and practical variation of the technology. He’s only 31 years old and made the list of MIT Technology Review’s “35 Innovators Under 35” list. Perhaps reaching “Ghost Recon Future Soldier’s” application of optic stealth by the year 2024 won’t be too far off the mark.
