Wizardry or reality? You-Know-Who
Find out whether Harry Potter’s wizard invisibility cloak could be a thing of the future with this new invention.
Scientists at New York’s University of Rochester have invented a device that makes objects invisible from sight.
The device ‘cloaks’ objects using a range of lenses that are cheap and easily obtained.
The move has led to many Harry Potter fans questioning whether an invisibility cloak could be created.
Sadly though, the Rochester Cloak is not in fact a cloak, but a device that uses layered lenses to seemingly make objects disappear.
The lenses make light pass around the object, so to make it appear invisible.
The scientists believe it to be with first of its kind.
Joseph Choi, a graduate student who was involved in the cloaking device’s development said: “From what we know this is the first cloaking device that provides three-dimensional, continuously multidirectional cloaking.”
Its potential uses are endless, as Choi explained: “I imagine this could be used to cloak a trailer on the back of a semi-truck so the driver can see directly behind him. It can be used for surgery, in the military, in interior design, art.”
John Howell – a professor of physics at the upstate New York school – and Choi put the device together for only $1,000 but claim that it can be done for a lot cheaper.
Those who want to try making their own Rochester Cloak can pick up tips from this video detailing the project.
