The Age of Invisibility
By: Asme Iiest Shibpur Student Section
Tags: Defense, Military, Science, STEM, Technology

Invisibility has always been an intriguing concept — invariably one of the superpowers we all wanted growing up. Popular literature and science-fiction franchises like J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ and H.G. Well’s ‘The Invisible Man’ have done a lot in helping us imagine what it would be like to be invisible.

Well, Guess What? Today, Invisibility is no more a matter of science fiction.

To make an object invisible, a perfectly invisible device should exhibit the same scattering properties as that of vacuum. In other words, the device together with the object to be camouflaged should reflect no light and cast no shadow.

A company called Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp. seems to have cracked the code on how to do that. Their new product ‘Quantum Stealth’ is a plastic sheet material which bends light around a subject, obscuring it from view.

Mr. Guy Cramer, CEO of Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp., calls it practical invisibility technology and notes that the name ‘quantum’ was selected for the name of the product in reference to the light interference patterns generated by diffraction gratings like in the double-slit experiment, which Cramer believes is a phenomenon closely related to the function of his product. The real power behind this new cloak isn’t quantum — it’s classical physics.

Quantum Stealth works via lenticular lenses, the technology commonly seen in plastic-coated 3D-effect trading cards or movie posters. In a lenticular lens, rows of cylindrical lenses refract light according to the viewing angle. Cramer found a way to arrange layers of these lenticular lenses such that ‘dead spots’ are created at certain standoff distances behind the material. When viewed from the front, the object behind the material is not visible, but the background is. This creates the illusion of invisibility.

Quantum Stealth material can bend ultraviolet, infrared light, and even shadows too, meaning hidden objects would not show up when viewed through night-vision goggles. The company says that its ultrathin, light and mobile form makes it ideal for military action. The light-weight material can be bent and folded and is designed to be carried in a soldier’s backpack, and it can also be used to make parachutes. The great advantage to Quantum Stealth is that it provides camouflage for all environments all year round. It doesn’t require a power source and inexpensive in comparison to other stealth equipment.

Soldiers could use this to hide their approach as they approach hostile forces. This could therefore enable them to complete missions during daylight instead of hiding their approach at night. It could be used for those on foot, operating military vehicles, aircraft, ships and even submarines. This amazing piece of technology could be a huge benefit to the military and the technology will completely revolutionise the camouflage industry.

In addition to ‘invisibility,’ the material’s light-bending properties have other applications, developed and patent-pending by Cramer. These include uses as a holographic image display, as a solar reflector, and as a laser-scattering device that works via diffraction. However, its only advantage is that it works up to a certain distance. That can be improved by putting some oil on it.