Scientists at the University of Rochester have discovered a way to hide large objects from sight using inexpensive and readily available lenses.
Cloaking is the process by which an object becomes hidden from view.
“A lot of people have worked on a lot of different aspects of optical cloaking for years,” John Howell, a professor of physics at the upstate New York school, said on Friday.
Photo: Reuters
The so-called Rochester Cloak looks like equipment used by an optometrist. When an object is placed behind a set of layered lenses, it seems to disappear.
“From what we know, this is the first cloaking device that provides three-dimensional, continuously multidirectional cloaking,” said Joseph Choi, a graduate student who helped develop the method at Rochester, which is renowned for its optical research.
In their tests, the researchers have cloaked a hand, a face, and a ruler — making each object appear “invisible” while the image behind the hidden object remains in view. The implications for the discovery are endless, they say.
Howell said the Rochester Cloak causes no distortion of the background object.
Building the device cost Howell and Choi a little over US$1,000 in materials and they believe it can be done even more cheaply.
They have released instructions on how to create a Rochester Cloak at home for under US$100.
There is also a 1 minute video about the project on YouTube.
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