Period 6, Group 3 (Post 3): Ramya, Kristen, Maia, Radhika

Making an invisibility cloak may be feasible in the future, but not right now. Scientists have thought and tested several different ways including disturbing the light waves by bending light around an object. At the University of Texas they have built an invisibility cloak, out of copper tape and polycarbonate, which is only undetectable to microwave detectors. They soon hope to use this concept to make objects invisible to the naked eye. Another cloak uses the principle of distorting light to make an object invisible to the naked eye. Instead, this one is being made with computers, and conventional materials like teflon. Using conventional materials like these, companies hope to create a cloak that is both cheap to manufacture and enticing to the consumer. As of right now, this version of an invisibility cloak can only hide a metal cylinder disc the size of a poker chip from microwaves, changing our perspective on creating an invisibility cloak to possible, but a project that will require much more time and studying.

Invisibility would be useful in many ways mainly for military uses. They would be able to disguise themselves and use invisibility as an element of surprise when at combat with another country. Likewise, that same use can prove to be detrimental against us if the opposing army uses it when fighting us. On the other hand, as a common household use, invisibility cloaks can be used to escape after embarrassing oneself, or to escape from any situation which also has its downfalls if the person using the cloak needs to be found. As to specific ways on how people are advancing with making invisibility cloaks a reality, UTD NanoTech Institute has found new technology that is inspired by the same natural phenomena that is responsible for desert mirages. By heating the cloak through electrical stimulation, the temperature gradient between the cloak and the surrounding area causes a steep temperature gradient that bends light away from the wearer. The only downfall to this method is that the wearer must be submerged in water and be able to fit in a petri dish.

Though on a larger scale, South Korea is attempting to construct a building that will be 450 meters and invisible at certain angles. The technique that they are going to use to accomplish this is a series of cameras that will send the real images to the reflective surfaces of the building. They are making sure to build the tower so that it is visible to planes in case of any attacks from above like the September 11 attack in America. All of these advancements, though astonishing has lead us to believe that although creating an invisibility cloak is attainable, it will require more time and effort before it is fully functional. 
From all this research, we have realized that although creating an actual invisibility cloak may take some time but is feasible, the use of it may be manipulated to create horrific events once again. Although this invisibility cloak only proved helpful to Harry Potter and his mission, in real life, we believe that it could be used as a weapon that only creates more problems.

To conclude, here is a great video clip from an interview about scientists advancing in finding a different method to achieve the same outcome of invisibility is displayed below:

Sources:

Brumfield, Ben. "Scientists Come a Step Closer to 'invisibility Cloak'" CNN. Cable News Network, 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

Cripps, Karla. "Coming Soon: World's First 'invisible' Tower." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.

"South Korea To Build 'Invisible' Skyscraper." Interview by Renee Montagne. Morning Edition. NPR. 19 Sept. 2013. Radio. Transcript.