Rochester Cloak: Harry Potter’s invisibility cloack might soon be a reality

Rochester Cloak

What looks like magic to us might soon be a normal occurrence thanks to science, and seems invisibility might be the next big thing we’ll achieve.

Meet the Rochester Cloak, a “Cloak of Invisibility” of sorts developed by a group of researchers from the University of Rochester. What it does is completely hide objects from view. The weird thing about it, though, is that the University of Rochester Newscenter claims this device is inexpensive, and can be built at home with every day materials.

The process is simple: by using four standard lenses, and depending on the position of the viewer, any one object can become invisible. Obviously, this would have no use at all if it was only one direction it cloaks, but a multitude of them. So, more than a cloak like Harry Potter’s, probably a shield would create a better mental image.

If readers wish to learn more about this concept, just head to the video right below these lines.

Via Syracuse

 

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Don’t mind the zero-emissions Mercedes fuel-cell car behind the invisible curtain (eyes-on video)

Don't mind the zeroemissions Mercedes BClass fuelcell car behind the invisible curtain eyeson video

Mercedes wanted to make a dramatic statement about how its new B-Class F-Cell car passes through the environment without leaving a trace, so it placed it behind an invisible LED curtain. We wanted to (not?) see that for ourselves at the Paris Auto Show, so took a quick tour of the magic LED cloak and the technology behind it. It doesn't work quite as well in a show hall as it did when we first saw it in its natural habitat, but the system was still a fun way to show off Merc's green ambitions. It works by passing video from behind the car taken with a Sony video camera through a laptop to a 200 x 300 resolution LED curtain. That makes the car blend in with its background, which is what such a car would do in the real world as far as its emissions go -- apart from a little water, of course. See the video below for the complete technical explanation.

Continue reading Don't mind the zero-emissions Mercedes fuel-cell car behind the invisible curtain (eyes-on video)

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Don't mind the zero-emissions Mercedes fuel-cell car behind the invisible curtain (eyes-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flying Carpets, and Other Gadgets Inspired by Fantasy

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The gadgets and gizmos featured in futuristic works of fiction of sci-fi films have failed to materialize on a frustratingly continual basis. But finally the boffins are seeing sense and putting some effort into the inventions the world really wants to see. As well as fulfilling the desires of geeks ...
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Scientists use metal and silicon to create invisibility cloak (no, you can’t wear it)

Scientists use metal and silicon to create invisibility cloak (no, you can't wear it)

In the quest to achieve that much-desired invisibility cloak, scientists have redirected light, used heat monitoring and even gone underwater -- with varying degrees of success. The latest attempt at this optical illusion is from engineers at Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania, who have developed a device that can detect light without being seen itself. When the ratio of metal to silicon is just right, the light reflected from the two materials is completely canceled out. The process, called plasmonic cloaking, controls the flow of light to create optical and electronic functions while leaving nothing for the eye to see. Scientists envision this tech being used in cameras -- plasmonic cloaking could reduce blur by minimizing the cross-talk between pixels. Other applications include solar cells, sensors and solid-state lighting -- human usage is conspicuously absent on that list.

Scientists use metal and silicon to create invisibility cloak (no, you can't wear it) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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