At a super-science event hosted by the video-sharing social media platform Bilibili in China on the evening of October 28, Mr. Chu Junhao, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an infrared physicist, demonstrated the ability of “invisibility” that made his legs disappear with the help of a magical material known as “Lens-like Cloaking Material” (or Lens-like Mesh), astonishing the audience.
Chinese scientist demonstrates invisibility capability. (Photo: Bilibili).
This material consists of rows of small cylindrical convex lenses that refract light uniformly and systematically. Each convex lens compresses the object behind it into a thin strip, making it appear invisible, thereby achieving a visual “invisibility” effect.
In his speech, he stated: “Whether in real life or in the natural animal world, there are many forms of invisibility. This is not magic, but a scientific method. In the future, Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak will become a common item in wardrobes.”
In addition to the aforementioned method, Academician Chu Junhao also demonstrated another form of invisibility – using two substances with similar refractive indices. For example, the refractive index of borosilicate glass is similar to that of glycerin. When an object made of borosilicate glass moves in glycerin, it can also achieve the invisibility effect. This method even opens up more possibilities and showcases the wonders of cloaking technology.
According to this expert, this is essentially one of the principles for realizing the “invisibility cloak”. When the fabric of clothing and the refractive index of air are equal, a person can freely “become invisible” after wearing it.
He also mentioned that current pioneering discoveries in invisibility can not only evade the naked eye but also avoid infrared surveillance.
Mr. Chu Junhao believes that in the future, along with the gradual improvement of technology and “meta-materials”, the ability to “become invisible” in science fiction works will gradually become a reality. Many “invisible” devices could change human lives, such as invisible rooms with better privacy and invisible hearing aids.
However, alongside the excitement of this new discovery, many Chinese netizens express concern about the potential misuse of this technology by criminals and hope that laws will be strengthened to prevent similar situations from occurring.
