Cloaking Device

Intriguing video of an apparent cloaking effect. I would like to see this from more than one angle to support if this is just a brilliantly staged illusion or a brilliant new insight to optics. Clearly something is moving in the water. The ripples on the surface give this away.

Heat is what you see they are just reproducing a mirage like those one would see in the desert.

I doubt that it is heat. Watch the linked video and not just the still image in the article. The "cloaking" effect sequentially moves from left to right in the video. The ripples I mentioned can be seen happening on each transition and spreading out in a wave pattern that one would expect from water in a tank. Also the article states that this effect works best underwater.

What about the ripples at the top that rize and spread out looks like heat effect to me.

The article says that heat is electrically created very fast in the tubes .

I realize that the article claims that this is an underwater heat mirage but I see a similar ripple response on each transition of ON/OFF and OFF/ON. I do not expect this with a heating effect unless this is capable of active cooling, too. This is why I wished that there was a images from a different angle. Frankly, this one angle view seems more like a vertical blind panel that mechanically flip when voltage is applied to allow a clear view from one perspective only. The nanotube sheets are supposedly very thin. They maybe just disappearing from view.

I wonder if this is a localized steam bubble on the strips. Hmm, how would one prove this and demonstrate if it is this or what complications should happen but are not apparent?

There's still not enough data presented for the claim of cloaking. A steam bubble or blind movement don't achieve cloaking on anything but one angle.

Here is a recent blog about Escher's Waterfall which has a video of the waterfall running and working as shown in the artwork. During the clip the trick is revealed.

With a little camera magic you can make just about anything look possible.

As an aside to redfred, I finished reading the books you suggested. The fictional cloaking device therein worked flawlessly. Thank you for some good literary advice.

More on this from Discovery here http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/17925/Watch-Mirage-Effect-Work-as-Invisibility-Cloak.

Though the article posted by Rixter is very good. Hope you don't mind I reposted your link in the thread above.

Very cool and interesting. Though I wonder what practical effect this will have. No effect as far as defense of underwater targets unless you are relying on visual methods for satellites or observers I would guess.

It would make it much more difficult to spy on an enemy's ports!

I wonder if the Klingon empire would sue for patent infringement? hehehehe