Video of "invisibility cloak" at TED

Yesterday I linked to a video of Baile Zhang's "invisibility cloak," which was demoed at TED2013. The video was hosted by Dropbox, which killed the link (too much traffic). Here's a YouTube version of the same video, courtesy of Ben Kellogg.

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Carla Sinclair is the co-founder of bOING bOING and the founding editor-in-chief of CRAFT magazine. She has written several books, including Net Chick, The Happy Mutant Handbook, Signal to Noise, and Braid Crazy.

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Brainspore

The video was hosted by Dropbox, which killed the link (too much traffic).

The video is still there, we just can’t see it.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Also, there are four lights.
awjt

OK, does the invisibility cloak only work on the bottom 5% of the sandwiched crystals? Does it require the stripey background? Does it require a certain surface to rest on?
- rrh
  
  I’m going to bet that yes, it requires the stripey background. Otherwise, what’s the first thing you’d do to demonstrate something’s invisible? You wave your hand (or tweezers) behind it.
  - robuluz
    
    That’s going to impede tactical deployment a little. The 20 mile wide, 4 mile high stripy backdrop will be a tip off, but once they roll in the 2 mile high prism and then stand around whistling casually, the enemy will start to get suspicious.
    - awjt
      
      They’ll be dead by then, though mwahahahahah!
http://twitter.com/digitalArtform Joseph Francis

I want a little periscope like that!
Roger Mercer

And suddenly it’s not so magical. Looks like it wouldn’t work without the vertically homogenous background.
http://vincenzoravina.tumblr.com/ Vincenzo Ravina

Looks like Lubor’s Lens. Magicians have had this technology for a while now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAlIDZEt4iw
secretdoubleagent

Yay! I personally can’t think of a single practical use for an invisibility cube that isn’t somewhere on the high jinks–trouble-making–law breaking–other unsocial behaviors spectrum. Also, of course, military stuff. But that might say more about me than invisibility cubes.
- Brainspore
  
  Perhaps this technology could have useful light-bending applications if optical computing ever takes off?
- Mark_Frauenfelder
  
  Magic tricks? Scientific study? For fun? I call all of those practical!
  - BunnyShank
    
    Art.
http://twitter.com/MrAaronSwainEsq Aaron Swain

The big question is: can you still fire phasers and photon torpedoes while using it?
theSamLowry

This video is very unconvincing.
Rhyolite

This is photographed from one direction…how well does it work if you are off of the intended axis?
danegeld

yeah, this works only on one direction, the background image is offset and the vertical stripes are needed to hide that fact. There are 360˚ invisibility metamaterials that work in the microwave regime, but you need materials with n < 0 to get it to work
http://profile.yahoo.com/65CSAR3QATRNKJW4NYNB2BESZE JohnQPublic

maybe these will work for tiny drones
Gasface

I hold the patent for making things invisible from only certain angles, when can I sue?
MrQuagmire

What is this, an invisibility cloak for ants?
Blue Ninja

So I told my Mom about this the other day (she’s in her 60′s). I said, “They’ve invented an invisibility cloak.” She asked, “Who did?” I said, “Scientists.” And she asked in all seriousness, “Are they Romulans?”

I love my Mom.
brainflakes

That’s not an invisibility cloak, that’s just a piece of perspex! All it’s doing is reflecting the vertical bars due to total internal reflection, it’s the “invisibility” equivalent of placing that orange strip under a slightly angled mirror.