For years, invisibility cloaks have been one of the most popular aspects of sci-fi movies, from Star Trek to Harry Potter. This futuristic cloak technology appears to be well on its way to becoming a successful reality.
According to reports, Invisibility Shield Co, a UK-based firm, has developed a shield that uses a specific lens array to divert light, rendering any objects or people hiding behind it ‘invisible.’
So far, the company has created 25 totally functional shields, and the crew is working feverishly to create more.
The team revealed why they were launching such a one-of-a-kind endeavor in an official statement, “Disappointed by the lack of progress and the continued unavailability of actual working invisibility shields, we decided to step things up and go all in on our project to create one.”
How Does It Work?
It employs a unique lens array to deflect much of the light reflected from the object hidden behind it away from the spectator, diverting it sideways across the shield’s face to the left and right. To see the video click here.
As a result of the vertically oriented lenses in this array, the vertically oriented strip of light reflected by the standing subject swiftly diffuses when it passes through the back of the shield and spreads out horizontally.
The researchers stated how the object becomes invisible as a result of this phenomenon, “In contrast, the light reflected from the background is much brighter and wider, and so when it passes through the back of the shield, far more of it is refracted both across the shield and towards the observer.”
Meanwhile, the background light is ‘smeared’ horizontally across the shield from the observer’s perspective, covering off the area where the subject would normally be visible, rendering it ‘invisible’ to human eyes.
To design the final generation of the shield, the team examined a range of lenses with variable angles, depths, profiles, and separation distances.
The final design incorporates a pair of elongated, convex lenses that run parallel across a polymer sheet. According to the designers, the shields work best against a consistent background, such as grass, vegetation, sand, or sky.
To read our blog on “Samsung Patent To Make Hinge Invisible In Foldable Phones,” click here.
