Cloaking Device Within Reach

USA

If you've ever seen an episode of Star Trek, or if you payed careful attention to The Coneheads, you'll know what a cloaking device is. However, on the off chance that the Goose has any non-nerd readers, a cloaking device is something like an invisibility cloak - a special material that hides solid objects from view.

In the past, scientist have reportedly been able to hide very thin, almost 2-dimensional objects behind special materials designed to bend light in unusual ways. Today, thanks to the development of metamaterials (man-made combinations of metal and ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite) scientists have demonstrated that they can cloak 3D masses as well.

Unlike stealth technology, which makes it harder for radar to detect aircraft by minimizing cross-section, cloaking devices may one day make such objects completely invisible. Since the human eye recognizes 3D objects by the way they bend and scatter light rays, scientists have been developing metamaterials to "bend light around objects so they don't create reflections or shadows."

Find out more at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,401208,00.html