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View Full Version : Scientists create invisibility cloak that bends microwaves


Euphoric
10-19-2006, 05:00 PM
A team of British and U.S. scientists has demonstrated the first working "invisibility cloak," although donā??t expect it to appear in the Halloween costumes aisle just yet.

The team, led by Professor Sir John Pendry of Imperial College in London, built the prototype at Duke University in North Carolina and reported its findings Thursday in Science Express, the advance online publication of the journal Science.

Little more than 12 centimetres across, the small device can redirect microwave beams so they flow around a "hidden" object inside with little distortion, making it appear almost as if nothing were there at all.

Like light, microwaves bounce off objects, making them visible and creating a "shadow," although it has to be detected with instruments.

The new work could be a baby step to an improved version that would make the Klingons and Harry Potter jealous by hiding people and objects from visible light.


http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/10/19/invisibility-cloak.html
MastaChronic
10-19-2006, 06:13 PM
very interesting, i want one!
Th3 sand m4n
10-19-2006, 06:18 PM
is it me or is technology getting scary. think of all the bad shit that could happen if the wrong people got their hands on that
Psycho4Bud
10-19-2006, 06:23 PM
Sounds like the Philadelphia project. Hopefully they have better success.

Have a good one!:thumbsup:
MastaChronic
10-19-2006, 06:35 PM
yeah it does, wasnt the phili project that ship that disappeared in the 40's?
Psycho4Bud
10-19-2006, 06:37 PM
Yah, the USS Eldridge........ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Experiment

Have a good one!:thumbsup:
Ol Schwaggy Bastard
10-19-2006, 07:00 PM
I bet it gives you cancer.
jamstigator
10-19-2006, 07:56 PM
I would think it'd reduce the chances of cancer, by redirecting radiation around you. Not that anyone'd use it for that. Not sure what I'd do with invisibility. Probably go on a crime-fighting rampage and take out all the crack dealers in my city, while availaing myself of whatever cash they have around. Heh. ;)
MastaChronic
10-19-2006, 08:07 PM
heh, you dont need an invisibility cloak for that.
ive dressed up in really bright clothes, painted my skin purple, and wore a pink wig, strolled into a crackdealers house while doing a wierd kind of dance thing, stole a bunch of money and danced out, all the guy did was watch me like he was trippin :P
Th3 sand m4n
10-19-2006, 09:10 PM
^^ WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is so funny hahahah
Ol Schwaggy Bastard
10-19-2006, 11:54 PM
I would think it'd reduce the chances of cancer, by redirecting radiation around you. Not that anyone'd use it for that.

I'm thinkin when you're not wearing it, or when somebody else is wearing it, and it's bouncing microwaves all over the place.
mrdevious
10-20-2006, 02:00 AM
I'm picturing a scientist on a stage holding two hands in the air saying "now, now this is an invisible cloak... you can't see it, because, well, it's invisible, so you'll have to work with me here..."
Maggz
10-20-2006, 03:43 AM
An old fat C.I.A. intelligence person is possibly wearing a invisi-cloak and spying on me chatting on boards.cannabis.com, smoking out my bong, and jerkin off to Juels Jordan ass worships? damn..Technology these days!!!
Ol Schwaggy Bastard
10-20-2006, 07:41 AM
if it doesnt cure aids or cancer they shouldnt be putting so much time and money into it.
Eraserhead71
10-21-2006, 12:22 AM
fucking sick.
bad news: when shit like this gets more common, the worlds going to become a lot more dangerous
Captain Hanks
10-21-2006, 05:20 AM
So I'm going to wear one of those cloaks to class and blaze for all to smell! Hilarious.
jaGerbom
10-21-2006, 05:23 AM
like inventing the nuclear bomb all over again

not really but u get it
wishmaster244
10-21-2006, 05:44 AM
dude! i have one i was standing next to you when you wrote that!!!
jamstigator
10-21-2006, 07:05 PM
They're gonna have to upgrade my virus protection software if it's gonna have to handle invisible people coming into my house and manually installing the viruses!
mrdevious
10-21-2006, 08:25 PM
fucking sick.
bad news: when shit like this gets more common, the worlds going to become a lot more dangerous

Not sure what you consider "common", but I can't imagine anyone other than a few select special forces agents/soldiers being able to use it. There's no way any sensible policy maker would allow this to be legally sold on the shelves of Walmart.
andruejaysin
10-23-2006, 05:44 AM
The problem is that you're only cloaking something at a specific wavelength, fine for microwaves, but visible light is a whole spectrum.
Kryzco
10-23-2006, 06:11 AM
is it me or is technology getting scary. think of all the bad shit that could happen if the wrong people got their hands on that

like me

oh the things I could do

I always wanted to be invisible :)
SparkandFly
10-23-2006, 05:13 PM
Not sure what you consider "common", but I can't imagine anyone other than a few select special forces agents/soldiers being able to use it. There's no way any sensible policy maker would allow this to be legally sold on the shelves of Walmart.

Yeah, but then again, you can't buy weed at Walmart, and it still finds it's way around.
WEED_UK
10-23-2006, 11:33 PM
UMmmmmmm , Believe it when i see it
mrdevious
10-24-2006, 06:16 PM
Yeah, but then again, you can't buy weed at Walmart, and it still finds it's way around.


And weed is something most everybody can find out how to grow. I can't imagine the specifications for cloaking technology will be quite such common knowledge.