[UPI, November, 2006]
U.S. scientists have again turned science fiction into science fact, creating the first working cloaking device that makes some objects nearly invisible.
Researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering say their "invisibility cloak" makes microwaves flow around a "hidden" object.
A cloak that can render objects essentially invisible to microwaves could have a variety of significant radar or wireless communications applications, according to the researchers.
The researchers manufactured their cloak using "metamaterials" precisely arranged in a series of concentric circles that confer specific electromagnetic properties. Metamaterials are artificial composites that can be made to interact with electromagnetic waves in such a manner that natural materials cannot reproduce.
The scientists say their invisibility cloak represents one of the most elaborate metamaterial structures yet designed and produced, as well as the most comprehensive approach to invisibility yet realized.
The team reports its findings in Science Express, the advance online publication of the journal Science.
