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Researchers in the U.S. have, for the first time, cloaked a three-dimensional object standing in free space - bringing the idea of an 'invisibility cloak' a step closer. The researchers used a hi-tech technique to 'hide' an 18-centimetre cylinder - and made it totally invisible.
But before we brace ourselves for Harry Potter-style invisibility to become a part of everyday life, it's not quite there yet. So far, the researchers can use a hi-tech coating to make an object disappear - but can only hide it from microwave scanners. It's still visible to the naked eye.
The researchers say that the technique could be used to hide objects from visible light - but that it would only work on objects on the millimetre scale, ie ones close to invisible anyway. Previous studies have either been theoretical in nature or limited to the cloaking of two-dimensional objects, this study shows how ordinary objects can be cloaked in their natural environment in all directions and from all of an observer's positions.
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