MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - Cloaking devices which render objects invisible might soon become commonplace; scientists from the University of Rochester have discovered an almost magical way to hide large objects from sight.
Their optical cloaking device may soon rival Harry Potter’s magical cloak of invisibility, according to Reuters.
"A lot of people have worked on a lot of different aspects of optical cloaking for years," Reuters quotes John Howell, a professor of physics at the University in upstate New York as saying.
The device, which has been nicknamed the Rochester Cloak, is not really a tangible garment. Rather it is a piece of equipment used by an optometrist. When an object is placed behind the layered lenses, it seems to disappear.
"From what we know, this is the first cloaking device that provides three-dimensional, continuously multidirectional cloaking," Reuters quotes Joseph Choi, a graduate student who helped develop the method at Rochester, as saying.
Cloaking is the process by which an object becomes hidden from view, while everything else around the cloaked object remains in sight.
While testing their device, the researchers have cloaked a hand, a face, and a ruler – making each object appear "invisible".
"I imagine this could be used to cloak a trailer on the back of a semi-truck so the driver can see directly behind him," Choi said. "It can be used for surgery, in the military, in interior design, and in art."
The device turned out to be not all that expensive - $1,000 in materials to create it. The scientists say it can be produced even cheaper.
The scientists have already released simple instructions on how to create a Rochester Cloak at home for under $100.
