A British startup has developed a 'transparent shield' that makes objects and people invisible. Using the principle of light reflection with a special lens allows a specific subject to be not seen by people in front of the shield.
The UK-based startup Invisibility Shield Corporation recently developed an 'invisible shield' that can even make people invisible.
The invisible shield uses an optical phenomenon called 'lenticular lens’. The lenticular lens is in a form, which cylindrical lenses are arranged parallel to a surface.It is designed in a way that only a specific portion is displayed when a subject is looking from an angle other than the front. The concept is similar to the 'tilt cards' principle, where angles decide the changes in image.
The invisible shield reflects the light that was reflected from the subject across, but to both left and right sides of the shield. The observer would not be able to see majority of the light reflected from the subject. It is impossible to see light in the vertical direction, because lenses are designed precisely to be vertically arranged as well.
Unlike the cloak of invisibility, the invisible shields do not make the subject seem disappear completely. In the videos and images released by Invisibility Shield Co., the subject cannot be seen, but the background is blurred, and gives off a cloudy sensation. The vertical elements in the background are extremely blurry to the point that cannot be recognized. This is interpreted that the invisible shield is able to show better image of the horizontal element background than the vertical element background.
The company believes that the invisible shield will be useful for creating interesting video content.Although the name 'invisible shield’ might suggest otherwise, the company denied that it was developed for military use.
The invisible shield is on a sale for a month and is raising money in the form of fundraise by being on the crowdfunding Kickstarter. It has raised more than $400,000 in funding. The shield is sold for 49 pounds for 21 cm x 31 cm and 299 pounds for 65 cm x 95 cm.
By Staff Reporter Dongjoon Kwon (djkwon@etnews.com)