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Science, or Magic?
May. 31st, 2006 09:30 amWell, it certainly has been a while since I posted a weird science note, but I've got one that is eminently worthy: some researchers at Duke have designed a theoretical invisibility cloak. A choice quote: "Electromagnetic waves would flow around an object hidden inside the metamaterial cloak just as water in a river flows virtually undisturbed around a smooth rock."
Now, to be clear, they have really only devised a new materials-design theory, which is able to describe exactly what such a cloak would have to be made of, but having a blueprint now probably means somebody will start trying to make that material for real. Personally, I'm more interested to see what this new design theory gives rise to that doesn't exist in our imaginations already -- since a lot of past inventions have led to things their makers didn't anticipate. (A classic example of this would be vacuum tubes for radar transmitters leading to microwave ovens when a technician accidentally melted a candy bar in his pocket).
Now, to be clear, they have really only devised a new materials-design theory, which is able to describe exactly what such a cloak would have to be made of, but having a blueprint now probably means somebody will start trying to make that material for real. Personally, I'm more interested to see what this new design theory gives rise to that doesn't exist in our imaginations already -- since a lot of past inventions have led to things their makers didn't anticipate. (A classic example of this would be vacuum tubes for radar transmitters leading to microwave ovens when a technician accidentally melted a candy bar in his pocket).
