Scientists Closer To Invisibility Cloak

Aviran was one of many readers to submit news of a just-announced development in the ongoing quest to develop a working invisibility cloak, writing: "Scientists say they are a step closer to developing materials that could render people and objects invisible. Researchers have demonstrated for the first time they were able to cloak three-dimensional objects using artificially engineered materials that redirect light around the objects. Previously, they only have been able to cloak very thin two-dimensional objects" Reader bensafrickingenius adds a link to coverage at the Times Online, and notes that "the world's two leading scientific journals, Science and Nature, are expected to report the results this week." Tjeerd adds a link to a Reuters' story carried by Scientific American.

I would have claimed 1st

I would have claimed 1st, but someone appears to be cloaked.

Re:I would have claimed 1st

His name was Robert Paulson. [imdb.com]

There fixed that for you.

Re:I do claim 1st

Don't know about the patent, but I can claim prior art. I have an invisible cloak that I wear all the time at home. I used to wear it in public, but kept getting arrested.

Is there an emperor out there looking for an outfit for a parade? I have a spare that I'm willing to sell.

Currently under "Cliche Movie Plot" (CPM) testing

The lead engineer on the project added "Our engineers are currently testing the cloak extensively in women's locker rooms, on their speeding cars, to sneak into class late, to hide from bumbling crooks, and in other comic scenarios which have, to date, only been seen in lame movies. Our hope is to perfect the technology to the point where an engineer can sneak up on the bully that tormented him in high school and kick him in the testicles." After detailing the particulars of the complex optic engineering of the project, he concluded with "The day is now in sight where we will have a cloaking device truly worthy of an early-90's Kirk Cameron movie--or, God willing, even a Michael J. Fox made-for-TV movie from the 80's."

correction:

Scientists closer to fulfilling fantasy of hiding in girl's locker room.

Re:correction:

The fact that this is modded insightful is frightening in itself.

arms race

And the locker room will be full of girls wearing invisibility cloaks.

Pictures?

At first I was going to complain about the lack of pictures, but then I realized they wouldn't be too revealing anyway.

Re:Pictures?

Theregister has a pretty nice artist's impression of the cloak [theregister.co.uk]

Re:Pictures?

I cant see them.. :D

Has it occured to anyone that once you take the cloak off you had better not set it down?

It really adds a whole new level to losing your keys if you set the cloak on them by mistake.

On a brighter note voyeurism just got easier.. :D

Re:Pictures?

Mr. Nesbitt has learnt the first lesson of not being seen... not to stand up. However, he has chosen a very obvious piece of cover.

Science writing at its finest

Very thin 2D objects eh? Nice.

Re:Science writing at its finest

It has trouble with very thick 2D objects.

Nature's Abstract

"the world's two leading scientific journals, Science and Nature, are expected to report the results this week."

You can find the Nature abstract here [nature.com]. And if you have a subscription, you can read the full research and see the data they collected from experiments.

According to the Ars Technica article on this [arstechnica.com], the Science link will be here [doi.org].

There seems to be a few more papers and articles on this but if you're interested you can search for optical metamaterials with negative refractive indexes.

enage cloaking device

"His cloak is perfect... no tachyon emissions, no residual antiprotons." on a serious note, would this not be vulnerable to infra-red cameras?

Re:enage cloaking device

Considering TFA says they are bending light to achieve this, I don't see why infrared light would not be effected the same a visual light. What I find to be really interesting is what this could allow us to do with non-visual light (microwaves, radio, etc.)

Re:enage cloaking device

Well, the body radiates heat. Even if your suit could bend those, its going to end up heating up to skin temperature. Once that happens, its all over. It can bend IR where ever it wants, but since IR from a human body is relativity uniform to begin with (and you don't need detail to see a human figure heat blur on a IR sensor), you're still going to get a human shaped object on your IR sensors.

Old "news". Nothing to see here....

This was posted in Pharyngula yesterday. The usual prescient commenters noted that nowhere on the researchers' pages was there active speculation about an "invisibility cloak", and it was probably just some reporters going wacky over the possibilities. http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/08/get_your_invisibility_cloak_he.php [scienceblogs.com]

Look over there, a cloaked eye-catching headline

This story has popped up here and there in the press today, but when I actually RTFA the actual breakthrough is negative refractive index materials, in the visible spectrum.
The application is not invisible tanks and infantry, but microscopy.

See here for photoshopped image that enhances the misleading headline http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7553061.stm [bbc.co.uk]

Woot!

Sign me up for a blessed +5 waterproof one.

I dunno about this claim.

I mean, I can see right through it.

Invisibility cloak

I'll believe it when I see it.

Actually it was invented several months ago...

now they just can't find the blasted thing.

Re:War Application

I don't really see many applications for war unless they can allow the person underneath the cloak to see. That's one of the drawbacks to being invisible, since light goes around the cloak no light reaches the invisible person's eyes, and thus the person cannot see. However, I could see someone under fire activating the cloak, and just laying low for a while

Re:War Application

Depending on what wavelengths of light it works on you could still see out with IR goggles or some other fancy gizmo like perhaps radar.