Social Good Engineering Magazine: GineersNow Social Innovation GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 001 | Page 106

S
cientists learned that
a single layer of teflon
studded with tiny bits
of ceramic can solve the
problem of impractical
thickness of the material
and also eliminates the issue of los-
ing brightness in the area hidden
by the cloak. Changing the way
light waves being reflected and
ultimately focusing a large area of
sunlight onto a solar power tower
enables cloaking mechanism. The
technology is indeed powerful in
making things invisible.

The new designs are
made using a thin sheet of Teflon
lined with small cylindrical
ceramic particles that changes
height. In order to give the impres-
sion of invisibility, all you need to
do is simply change the direction
of the material, which in turn, will
redirect the electromagnetic waves.
This effect is called cloaking, and
can change the perception of a flat
surface entirely.

In contrast to the
earlier designs that were being
used earlier for cloaking devices,
the researchers have started to
use a “carpet” cloak design, which
makes the objects on a flat surface
disappear beneath it. This is done
by imitating the way light would
reflect off of the flat surface if the
object were not there.

The researchers ensured
the best design and maximum
optimization of the cloak by using
the Computer-Aided Design
(CAD) software with electromag-
netic simulation. The cloak was
modeled as a thin matrix of Teflon
that embedded small cylindrical
ceramic particles, each with a
different height depending on its
position on the cloak.

The technology will not
only make things invisible but can
change the way the light waves
are reflected at will. Also, this will
render new implications in optics,
interior design and art. The entire
work has been supported by a
grant from the Calit2 Strategic
Research Opportunities (CSRO)
program at the Qualcomm Insti-
tute at UC San Diego.

However, there is a
limitation attached to these new
cloaking devices. These devices
can be used only on flat surfaces
and you can’t exactly just wrap
yourself in this new material. Let’s
hope that the improved version for
non-flat surfaces will be available
in no time. 

Soon enough, invisibili-
ty is not just magic anymore.
For the Potterheads:
Invisibility Cloak
Using Teflon
106
Photo Source: Aminoapps
Photo Source: Sparkly Science
It used to be mentioned just in folklores
nearly a millennium ago or even the iconic
invisibility cloak of Harry Potter. Now, it
just had its space in the real world.