How scientists are creating real-life invisibility cloaks - Max G. Levy
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A spy presses a button on their suit and blinks out of sight. A wizard wraps himself in a cloak and disappears. A star pilot flicks a switch, and their ship vanishes into space. Invisibility is one of the most tantalizing powers in fiction, spanning all kinds of stories. But could this fantasy ever become a reality? Max G. Levy digs into the technologies that could make invisibility possible.
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Additional Resources for you to Explore
If the concept of a real-life invisibility cloak still feels unfathomable, learn a bit more about the science of metamaterials from University of Pennsylvania Professor Nader Engheta. Metamaterials are responsible for many recent breakthroughs in the study of cloaking technology, manipulating electromagnetic waves in more ways than previously thought possible (if you need a refresher on what an electromagnetic wave is, NASA explains it here). The 2018 development of the metalens advanced this cause even further, making objects undetectable across the entire invisible light spectrum.
If you need help visualizing how metamaterials function, Duke University Professor Steve Cummer sketches his way through a handy presentation. And for a mind-blowing display of some of the applications of these advancements in “quantum stealth,” watch this video from The Telegraph.
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Meet The Creators
- Director
- Michael Kalopaidis, Zedem Media
- Educator
- Max G. Levy
- Narrator
- Addison Anderson
- Storyboard Artist
- Wing Luo
- Animator
- Christos Papandreopoulos, Maria Savva, Eleni Catherine Demetriou, Rafael Kallistratou
