Scientists have made a breakthrough in demonstrating how technology can be developed to make people or objects appear invisible to thermal-imaging devices, bringing us one step closer to science fiction-style cloaking.
The researchers at the Institut Fresnel in France have shown how optical cloaking using transformation optics can be applied in a way to prevent heat from being seen by heat-sensing equipment, effectively masking the object from detection."We can design a cloak so that heat diffuses around an invisibility region, which is then protected from heat," said Dr. Guenneau from Institut Fresnel. "Or we can force heat to concentrate in a small volume, which will then heat up very rapidly."The technology could potentially be used in multiple fields, including by the military and criminals. Soldiers could use it to plan stealthier attacks, while thieves could use it to hide from the thermal cameras on police helicopters, providing, of course, they can steal the technology in the first place.The military has already taken advantage of similar technology to make a tank look like a car to heat-sensing devices. While it does not make it completely invisible, it does recreate the shape of the device in terms of generated and detected heat, leading to new tactics in warfare.Scientists have been trying to discover ways to develop an invisibility cloak for a number of years now, an idea that was once thought to be impossible, but now looks limited only by time and research.Source: BBC
No comments:
Post a Comment