In 2006, physicists developed an "invisibility cloak," using metamaterials that allowed the bending of microwaves around an object, effectively making it resemble empty space. In a recent paper, another group of physicists have taken this idea further and described the mathematics involved in bending light to resemble things other than empty space. This New Scientist article has an excellent example of how, for example, you could use these materials to make a cup look like a spoon.
Of course, this is a neat trick, but is it actually useful? In fact, Che Te Chan, one of the physicists working on the project, has indicated that the research could potentially mean that devices could be built that, when placed on walls, allow the viewer to look through the opaque material. There are, of course, many engineering challenges before these peeping tom devices (along with invisibility cloaks) will actually be built, but it appears that it may actually be only a matter of time.
Related Articles:
- New Scientist - Modified invisibility cloak could make the ultimate illusion
- Physics Review Letters - Illusion Optics: The Optical Transformation of an Object into Another Object (abstract free; subscription or payment needed for full paper)
- The Invisibility Machine - August 1, 2006
- Invisibility Achieved - October 23, 2006
- Book Review - Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku
- Book Review - The Physics of the Buffyverse by Jennifer Ouellette
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