Invisibility by 2012

[Jambo_100]

check this out................

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/31/ntank131.xml

and this............

YouTube - Optical Camouflage (Invisible Cloak)

[energo]

Very cool. To take things one step further, there has been a lot of breakthroughs on creating invisable materials, called metamaterials, in recent years. Not at least this year, check these out:

sciencenews.org/articles/20070324/fob3.asp
"Closer to Vanishing: Bending light as a step toward invisibility cloaks"

sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070104144655.htm
"Physicists Verify Reversal Of Snell's Law In "Left-Handed" Composite Material"

This begs the question: If they can do this in commercial labs, wonder what they're doing over at Skunk Works and other top secret military facilities. :)

Regards,
Bjørnar Bolsøy
Oslo, Norway

[texasjohn]

Jambo, this question had also been discussed in another board. The Daily Telegraph example involves having a projector and a camera. How is going to be implemented in real time battle?

[energo]

Jambo, this question had also been discussed in another board. The Daily Telegraph example involves having a projector and a camera. How is going to be implemented in real time battle?

Granted, using an external projector would limit its use. However, active camo using flexible OLEDs and CCD cameras is a more viable concept and will probably see practical use in a few years. Beyond that phased array optics and metamaterials are perhaps two of the most likely implementations.


Regards,
Bjørnar
Oslo, Norway

Admin, Bernard, I have deleted your family name for privacy issues. It is of course your choice if you want it displayed, but my advice would be not to have it on display for the whole spamming world to see....

[texasjohn]

Granted. But keep this in mind. I can still "see" the tank itself with IR devices, and on radar. both of which are standard in most tanks nowadays. So the benefit???

[energo]

Granted. But keep this in mind. I can still "see" the tank itself with IR devices, and on radar. both of which are standard in most tanks nowadays. So the benefit???

Anything that reduces your signature will be an advantage on the battlefield, though you might reason that it inevitably will bring up disadvantages too in some ways. Friendly identification is one.

Current IR/Radar sensors are usually too impractical and expensive for wide spread deplyoment for most defence forces. Especially at the tropp level. The image quality is limited and they tend to be active which means you can pick up their signature with passive sensors.

Despite that, I think its likely that future cloaking technology will operate accross the electromagnetic spectrum, reducing the range of all kinds of sensors.


Regards,
Bjørnar
Oslo, Norway

Admin, Bernard, I have deleted your family name for privacy issues. It is of course your choice if you want it displayed, but my advice would be not to have it on display for the whole spamming world to see....

[texasjohn]

OK. I'm confused now. How is optics going to reduce Radar or IR signature? Also what about at night? Right now, a tanker can become invisible by laying down smoke. I guess what I'm getting at, is that at best it is a futuristic dream. And as cloaking technology develops, so will detection technology. Kinda like stealth.

[energo]

OK. I'm confused now. How is optics going to reduce Radar or IR signature? Also what about at night? Right now, a tanker can become invisible by laying down smoke. I guess what I'm getting at, is that at best it is a futuristic dream. And as cloaking technology develops, so will detection technology. Kinda like stealth.

I think you are absolutely right on the last point there. However regarding full spectrum cloaking with phased array optics and metamaterials I don't think we're looking that far into the future. Maybe 10-15 years, or so. Like with RAM materials you may be able to fabric layers of composites that works on different wavelengths.

There is also a lot of talk about active cancelation through the use of ionization or plasma fields some further years down, though its effectiveness is uncertain.


Regards,
Bjørnar
Oslo, Norway

Admin, Bernard, I have deleted your family name for privacy issues. It is of course your choice if you want it displayed, but my advice would be not to have it on display for the whole spamming world to see....

[texasjohn]

I do agree there is a lot of research going on. Time will tell, my friend!:)

[octopus7]

I think this has already been discussed in the "general" section of the site. But that was mainly about the use of lights to hide things during ww2. I reckon oneday invisibility will be a feasible means. But that day is a long way away I think.

[energo]

I do agree there is a lot of research going on. Time will tell, my friend!:)

Indeed, quite exciting times. :)


Regards,
Bjørnar
Oslo, Norway

Admin, Bernard, I have deleted your family name for privacy issues. It is of course your choice if you want it displayed, but my advice would be not to have it on display for the whole spamming world to see....

[aura_bomber]

vey cool is right i read the article that would be good for the us but if iraq did that......... thats a different story.......

[Lostfleet]

2012 ? well some special forces and equipment might use invisible camo by then,

but considering the increase in technological advancement in fabrics I think by 2020 most of the armies would have wide use of this material.

However what would be the counter-devices for this technology, obviously for tanks IR and radar are one option but for ground troops? Will they have people detector as the one in the movie Aliens ( the hand held device which looked like a mini-radar screen)

I am assuming they will find a way to block the IR reading from the fabric by making the fabric's heat alter according to the environment, and it will be very difficult to use radar for people especially in jungle and urban conditions. That leaves only motion sensors.

so how would be the infantry warfare with the invisible camo? Just invisible people sitting and waiting? :)