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Leap forward for invisibility cloaks

• josefresco 17y ago
  "Invisibility 'carpets' that conceal objects by making bumps look flat can work under near-infrared light, two teams of physicists have shown" I believe that. "And making a similar device that shields objects in visible light should be relatively straightforward, they say."" I do not believe that. Not because I think they're wrong, but rather I believe it is their nature to be overly optimistic. It seems whenever scientists make a new breakthrough, the next step is always 'easy' and 'should be out in the next 5-10 years". Never happens.
  • kurtosis 17y ago
    Well you are right that these articles tend to be overly optimistic, but I wouldn't say that it never happens. The most conspicuous example I can think of is: Giant MagnetoResistance (GMR) read heads. These went from a laboratory discovery to a widely adopted practical technology in about ~10-12 years. It's discoverers were given the 2007 nobel prize in physics. There are many other smaller profile examples from the materials processing and photonics industries. Exponential growth in computing power / storage depends on fast tracking these kind of discoveries.