Are we a step closer to an invisible cloak? Probably, with nano size particles

Invisibility is one of science’s greatest White Whales, but researchers at Queen Mary University of London are one step closer to creating a material that can make objects disappear.

What’s more, the researchers worked with UK industry to demonstrate the cloaking device, which doesn’t exactly make something invisible. Rather, it uses a nanocomposite medium to make raised objects appear flat. It has seven distinct layers with electric properties, hiding an object that would’ve caused surface waves to be scattered.

The results, which were published recently in Scientific Reports, is ensuring that nerds might achieve invisibility some day, but it also has the potential for wider applications in engineering, optics and acoustics. It could be applied to anything relating to electromagnetic surface waves, according to researchers.


Picture: BCCL

“The study and manipulation of surface waves is the key to develop technological and industrial solutions in the design of real-life platforms, for different application fields,” said lead author Dr Luigi La Spada. Reading through the study doesn’t indicate what the cloak is made from (presumably so that they can possibly patent it later), but it does state that the manufacturing processis‘ inexpensive and highly reproducible’.