In a world where technology is increasing at an astonishing rate it is becoming
more and more obvious that things that used to seem totally impossible and
outlandish to us are actually completely realistic. A perfect example of
something that once seemed totally implausible but is now a working product is
the “invisibility cloak”. The idea is that an invisibility cloak will render
the user completely invisible to those around by putting the cloak around one’s
body. Ever since the technology became available
in 2003, people all around the world have been hard at work to create working
products that can create an “invisibility cloak” type of illusion. Different ideas are springing up everywhere
but one solution that I found particularly interesting was being studied in
Japan.
The method being used in Japan uses what is known as retro
reflective projection technology. As you might have guessed from the name, the
idea is that the image that would be seen if the person wearing the cloak was
not present is reflected back at people around the person wearing the cloak
making it seem like no one is even there. The coolest part of this concept is
the material that is being used in the cloak. The fabric is made up of very
tiny glass beads that are only 50 microns wide. These beads make up the whole
cloak and are able to have light pass directly through them and reflect back at
the source similar to a movie.
Even though an invisibility cloak is a super fun and cool
idea, there has to be some practical use to this technology, right? Correct!
The scientists in Japan have brought many ideas to the table, but some that
really stood out revolved around vehicles and transportation. The idea is that
if cars could use this technology we could completely eliminate blind spots. If
the material on the side door of a car was made of this fabric instead of the
current material it uses, the user of the car could completely see through
their wall and eliminate many accidents due to blind spots. If that doesn’t
sound like a fantastic idea then what does. If anyone has any other cool ideas
for this technology that could make the world a safer and more exciting place,
let me know! And if you’re having trouble visualizing this whole idea, here is
a video. Enjoy!
So, the Romulans have landed in Japan!This technology is the stuff that made James Bond famous.
ReplyDeleteBut really, this technology is quite interesting. I wonder aobut it's durability. How many of the glass beads must "fail" before the concept itself fails. I noticed that you could see the folds in the cloak, so it appears to work only when completely flat. With that pose any significant problems in applications? Can it create illustions that mimic reality, but really are only illustions?
This is quite interesting and I cant wait to have one! Even if you can see the folds in the cloak, someone seeing that fold would simply think that they are seeing a ripple in their vision and would not think much more of it. This cloak sounds very fragile though. The 50-micron size glass pieces may be small enough to not be effected, but how are they held together? And how is the material holding it together strong enough when it has to be significantly smaller than each of the glass beads? I cant wait to look this up and see how close the Japanese are to finding a solution to this project!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is amazing i never knew that they had created such technology already. The idea of eliminating all blind spots in cars in an excellent idea, but what if they created a technology that the armed forces could use during covert missions to never be seen.... Think of all the lives that would be saved if only two men with this cloaking devise could take the place of a ten man team to carry out a high valued mission.
ReplyDeleteI would just like to comment that this is very interesting. I thought this was only possible in movies, but it's very exciting that we are discovering this in "real life." How is the product durable though? When you slam the door to the car, would the glass not break? Or what about heat/air conditioning or turning up the radio really loud, would it have an effect on the materials ability to help you see through the door? When we engineer products we have to take these things into account, and I'm sure the scientists in Japan are.
ReplyDeleteCan someone explain what changes when viewing the cloak with the naked eye and it seems black as opposed to viewing through the camera or lens and it being invisible?
ReplyDeleteI would love for this material to be implemented into processes to make them safer. I love Harry Potter so any type of reality in that would be pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder if this material would be able to be used in the medical field at all? Depending how safe and sanitary the glass beads are, maybe this technology of materials could aid in furthering medical research and advancements. I'm no doctor so I don't know how or where this material would come in to play, but I'm sure if it is perfected, it would aid Doctors and medical professionals in some way.
The idea of "invisible" material would open up many doors of opportunity, I just wonder how soon and how likely this innovation will unfold! Very interesting though.
I agree that it seems it would be a problem for the cloak to stay together!! Cars are not the same as walking around with a jacket on your back trying to hide, they move really fast and it would be a pain to have to replace the side of your car every time you got in a fender bender!? It is interesting to see how advance we are already starting to get, this early in our lives. I can only imagine how far we will take it in the future.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome. I didn't think something like this was possible. If im not mistaken, it works like a green screem except one where you can see to the other side, right?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a really cool idea to use the concept in cars to see outside where the blind spots are, maybe it would lower the higheway accident rate. I think this material has so many different potential uses. It kind of reminds me of what one way mirrors do, but way cooler!
In the same line as the Japanese cloak: http://www.youtube.com/user/mashable?v=ZIGzpi9lCck
ReplyDeleteThis, however does not require a projector onto the material.
Another thing I've stumbled across was this:
http://soldiersystems.net/2011/07/18/through-the-looking-glass-with-hyperstealth/
What they show is a make-up, but apparently this guy has somehow done what MIT hasn't been able to do. (http://www.defensereview.com/dr-exclusive-hyperstealth-quantum-stealth-passive-adaptive-camouflagecloaking-technology-for-the-21st-century-future-soldierwarfighter-beyond-smartcamo-color-changing-hybrid-camouflage-beyond/)
You may be skeptical, but this guy is one of the first people to realize the effectiveness of digital camouflage patterns currently used today and has a lot of countries buying his patterns.