From "this week's hottest patent applications in the world of photonics" — a sheet you drape over physical objects that both captures and emits light, making it appear as though the object was not preset. Aw, call it what it is: a cloak of invisibility, or, as I like to call it: instaninja!
The idea hinges on carefully mimicking background lighting conditions to help render an object invisible, similar to how a chameleon blends in with its surroundings. The rear and front surfaces of an object are covered with a material containing an array of photodetectors and light emitters respectively.
The photodetectors on the rear surface are used to record the intensity and color of a source of illumination behind the object. The light emitters on the front surface then generate light beams that exactly mimic the same measured intensity, color and trajectory. The result is that an observer looking at the front of the object appears to see straight through it.
(Thanks, Ren!)
