Many teams from all across the world have been experimenting with the deflection of waves. By deflecting waves objects can appear to be nonexistent. So far we do not have an invisibility invention yet. Although seven years ago, a team at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering showed they can deflect microwave beams. A different group at the school invented another device made by 3D printing can also deflect the beams and possibly more. The Original Cloak Device The team of scientists from seven years ago conducted research on making an object appear invisible from radar wavelengths. They successfully showed that placing their cloak invention around a copper cylinder, microwave beams would show a miniscule amount of distortion after passing the cylinder, a complete difference than the copper alone. Changing the Game The newer team includes Yaroslav Urzhumov, an assistant research professor in electrical and computer engineering at the school. They used a 3D printer and roughly 3 – 6 hours to create a plastic Frisbee-like disk with several strategically placed holes. These holes create shadows that help the microwave beams pass with minimal disturbance. He stated that “Anyone who can spend a couple thousand dollars on a non-industry grade 3D printer can literally make a plastic cloak overnight”. It did the same job that the one from seven years old did, so what’s the point? Well Urzhumov feels that they could make the disk reflect visible light. By doing so, they could trick the naked eye into not seeing anything. This has great potential and it is something that the U.S. Army Research Office supports by awarding the university the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative grant. Urzhumov also believes that by making the disk larger, they can cover larger objects. By running several simulations he displayed enough evidence to reinforce his claim. We could see a one-inch thick plastic shield around objects that are several yards in diameter.While we wait for the invisibility cloak to come around, at least you know that you can play Frisbee without the concerns of aliens detecting you. --------- Quinn Farhessi: Consultant in 3d printer companies, 3d printer price estimates and 3D printing software.
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