Invisibility has been a matter of great interest in the far-flung world of scientific research, and attempts in this direction have not ceased, in fact, hardly a year seems to pass without a paper being published that hint the dream could one day become a reality.
The latest offering in these series of attempts comes from Scientists with the Queen Mary University of London who have successfully created a material that makes extruding areas appear flat to electromagnetic waves. The British scientists seem to be on the verge of making a practical invisibility cloak.
The researchers have come up with a coating that utilizes graded refractive index nanocomposite materials to reduce an object's electromagnetic signature. Basically, it makes curved surfaces appear flat - electromagnetic waves leave nearly as if there were no object at all, according to a post on Queen Mary University of London official website.
The design in based on transformation optics, a theory behind the design of the invisibility cloak, says co-author Yang Hao from Queen Mary University of London's School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science.
Hao is referring to the cloak that's inherited by Harry Potter, a leading character in J.K. Rowling's most popular novels, which played a crucial role in nearly all his adventures.
That being said, the latest design does not boast such universal camouflage though, in fact it just seeks to make curved objects occur flat to electromagnetic waves.
The work was carried out in collaboration with British industry, which just increases its chances of deployment in practical applications.
For now, any real-world use seems to be way off, however it will not just be restricted to stealth. It could pave the way for unusually shaped antennas or acoustics that work with same efficiency as their straight-laced counterparts.
No doubt, cloaking would be the most dramatic application of technology that could help in several fields.
The research is supported by an EPSRC programme grant - QUEST and published in the journal Scientific Reports.
