Scientists Have Created The First Functioning Invisibility Cloak
Researchers have made an invisibility cloak that actually works. It re-routes light waves so that a 3D object behind it cannot be seen. Physicists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, who developed the ultra-thin cloak, say that it is actually easy to design and implement.
The cloak is microscopic, but scientists say it can probably be scaled up so that similar cloaks can be made to hide large objects. The invisibility shield uses tiny gold fibers called nanoantennas that change the way that light waves bounce off the object behind it.
The limitations of the current tiny invisibility cloak present a challenge for the physicists. As of now, the cloak cannot obscure the shadow of the object it’s hiding, because the dark side of the object isn’t receiving light waves. Also, the cloak can hide a motionless object, but it will require further research to figure out how to make a cloak that can adapt as the hidden object moves and changes its contours.
