The dream of every Harry Potter fan of owning an “invisibility cloak” seems to be soon coming true, with British scientists developing such a garment which will render the wearer invisible to the human eye.
A team at Imperial College hopes to create a cloak from a new material that can manipulate light. Normally, when light hits an object, it bounces off the surface and into the eye, making the object visible.
According to the scientists, the invisibility cloak made from “meta-material” would work by “grabbing hold” of light waves and making them flow smoothly around an object, in the same way that water in a river flows round a stick.
Putting the cloak on will allow the wearer to move around unseen, the ‘ Daily Mail ’ reported.
In fact, the scientists say the meta-material could have a range of other applications, including creating super-sensitive microscopes and airport security sensors that can spot tiny amounts of chemicals.
However, they admit the Harry Potter cloak is likely to generate the most interest.
Sir John Pendry, who is leading the project, which is being funded by the Leverhulme Trust and will be carried out with the University of Southampton, said: “We’ve shown that an optical invisibility cloak is theoretically possible — the big challenge now is to build it.”
