Invisiblity Shield Co has created a shield that makes people or objects behind it nearly “disappear”.
Invisibility shield concealing the subject behind. (Photo: Invisiblity Shield Co).
The shield, developed by the startup Invisiblity Shield Co in London, utilizes a series of special lenses to redirect light, rendering people or objects behind it invisible. To date, they have produced 25 shields and are seeking funding to manufacture more.
“We have created numerous versions, tested various materials, and faced failures. But throughout the journey, we have developed an efficient and scalable production process, creating the invisibility shield that we believe is the best to date,” the research team at Invisiblity Shield Co stated.
Through a series of lenses, the invisibility shield redirects most of the reflected light from the person or object standing behind it away from the observer. Consequently, light travels horizontally across the surface of the shield to the left and right. Due to the vertically oriented lenses in the network, the band of light reflected from the standing or bending subject is quickly diffused horizontally as it passes behind the shield.
In contrast, the light reflected from the background becomes significantly brighter. Therefore, when passing behind the shield, most of that light is refracted. This means that from the observer’s perspective, the light from the background blurs the area where the subject would otherwise be visible.
To develop the shield, the research team experimented with various lens shapes at numerous angles, depths, tilts, and distances. The final version consists of elongated convex lenses placed parallel on a polymer sheet. The materials used to create the shield are UV-resistant, heat-resistant, and extremely durable.
According to the researchers, the shield works best against uniform backgrounds such as grass, leaves, sand, and the sky.
