Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Now you see me...

Researchers in the UK and the US some months ago laid out a blueprint and called for help in developing the exotic materials required to construct a workable invisibility cloak.

The keys are special manmade materials, which are intended to steer light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation around an object, rendering it as invisible as something tucked into a hole in space. John Pendry, a physicist at the Imperial College London assured us that it's a workable theory and details of a study he co-wrote, appeared in the journal Science.

Now researchers at Duke University revealed that they have developed such a device, though at present it works only with microwave radiation and only in two dimensions. It's surprising that it's as simple as it is and that it works so well," said physicist Ulf Leonhardt. The team has the technology to develop a more effective cloak that will hide a three-dimensional object the size of a toaster soon enough. In order to bend visible light waves, nanofabrication techniques will likely be necessary.

The most immediate applications for the technology would be to focus solar energy onto collection cells or to enable wireless transmissions to bypass structures. But I'm revealing now that much of the funding for the research comes from the military, more specifically The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency supported the research, given the obvious military applications of such stealthy technology.

I daresay it'll be a while before they can cloak a person like in SG-1 or Harry Pothead but I'll see if they'll allow me to "test" any prototype once I'm re-instated to active duty.

Sources: Wired, Trektoday - Img Source: City of Heroes

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You'd better get it quick, to hide from all the new "friends" you'll be making soon Sir!

Anonymous said...

The last thing the world needs now is the Colonel with an invisibility cloak....but what exactly would you use it for? Well Colonel??

Anonymous said...

Did the Colonel use an invisibility cloak to mask the humour on this site

Capt. Harmon Rabb said...

The Colonel would likely do something perverted (and hopefully add another charge to his Court-martial). All marines are basically the same regardless of their rank and impressive array of shiny medals and swords etc.
Which reminds me: marines are always proclaiming the "impressiveness" of their swords, on parade day it's like watching children as they whip them out and compare lengths...

Anonymous said...

Hey squid, don't tar us all with the same brush. Besides, NCOs have a much more impressive sabre than the Mameluke ;P

Anonymous said...

Thats why he abandoned you on the battlefield, Guns, Weapon Envy!, the Colonel cannot stand the thought of anyone being better armed than him.