Researchers from Duke University think it may be possible to develop a composite material that would make objects acoustically "invisible." The idea is that sound waves approaching an object wrapped in the material would bend around the object and then keep going. The idea was inspired by the recently-developed "invisibility cloak" that bends microwaves. From National Geographic News:
The most obvious use of an acoustic cloak would be hiding submarines from enemy sonar–sound waves that are used to locate underwater objects.
But the advance could also be used in architecture–in music halls and theaters, for instance.
"Right now . . . the acoustics are built into whatever you're doing structurally," (Duke professor Steve) Cummer said. "So you probably have a set of tradeoffs, structurally and acoustically."
But with acoustic cloaking technology, "a giant beam that might be important structurally and bad acoustically could be rendered acoustically invisible."
Previously on BB:
• Invisibility cloak is one step closer after science demo Link
