 Cloaking Device in Five Years |
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 May 25 2006, 10:12 PM
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#1
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Runner  Group: Members Posts: 2,901 Joined: 19-June 03 Member No.: 4,775  |
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May 25 2006, 10:28 PM
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#2
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,556 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Member No.: 98 |
"So they figured out how to possibly cloak spherical objects... big deal." you say?
Think drones, people. Fill that outer shell of "metamaterials" with helium, stick a lightweight camera and a burst satellite transmitter into a spherical "core," and you've got a drone you could tether to a building or something over a target and leave there for as long as it had power. Add some solar cells, that'd be a damn long time. Get the weight down enough (or the sphere big enough) and you could put some pretty interesting stuff in there... |
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May 25 2006, 10:44 PM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 565 Joined: 7-January 04 Member No.: 5,965 |
hmm. from what i read, it sounds like a fairly fagile material is used. LTA drones would be one very nice option, but forget about using solar cells or visible-light cameras. no light will get in, if it does its job.
The drone could be designed as a proximity mine, an alarm (for those types of energy that its not invisible to- radar?), or as two points to string monowire between. What we are actualy talking about, is how light bends due to various magnetics. The question i see raising from this, is what does this mean about light in interstellar and intergalactic space? If a cloaking device has any impact on astronomy, that would be amusing. |
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May 25 2006, 10:46 PM
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#4
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,556 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Member No.: 98 |
You could get around the camera issue by having a "pinhole" in the outer shell that the camera can look through. At least, I think you could :)
You've got a point on the solar, though. Okay, fuel cells it is! |
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May 26 2006, 01:17 AM
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#5
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
Somebody has to say it; this could violate our treaty with the Romulans.
I really don't see much point in having an invisible tank. Someone is going to notice a tank even if it is invisible. Now, if the material can be made radar and heat absorbant it might be useful on jets. Certainly, it would be more effective than making one entirely out of transparent materials ala Wonder Woman. |
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May 26 2006, 01:37 AM
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#6
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
That would include Radar and IR. It would still radiate heat, however. |
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May 26 2006, 04:49 AM
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#7
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
I never really understood the appeal of some chick flying around apparently on her own, in a sitting position. Really, if you're going ot have an invisible plane, you should at least make the seat like a bed, where you lay out on your stomach with your arms in front of you. At least then you don't look so dorky. Maybe that's just me though. |
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May 26 2006, 05:13 AM
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#8
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,901 Joined: 19-June 03 Member No.: 4,775 |
In stark contrast to the rest of Wonder Woman, which was stylistically brilliant!
I'm not convinced, actually. Solar cells are right out, obviously, but visible light cameras don't need full light to be functional. If the effect can be modulated to allow minimal light through to cameras, cameras could still function (low light amplification is hardly exotic, new tech, afterall). Not necessarily the best way to go about it (pinhole cameras are, for most applications, probably better), but it does seem potentially viable. |
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May 26 2006, 05:23 AM
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#9
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
They mentioned this on the radio just now (BBC on WPR), and considered applications such as cloaking unsightly buildings (invisible arcology?) and use in telescopic devices.
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May 26 2006, 09:52 AM
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#10
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
The rest of Wonder Woman was about Polygraphs and BDSM (This isn't surprising considering that she was created by the inventor of the polygraph who was into BDSM). But I am reminded of that episode of Family Guy where Spuerman flys beside her her and it turns out that she's in the invisible plane's invisible lavatory. The ensuing conversation of rather embarasing for both. As for invisible buildings, I don't see that as a good thing. Remember that episode of the Simpsons where Homer became leader of the Stone Cutters? He had his men paint a hospital a beautiful sky blue and a helecopter crashed into it. |
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May 26 2006, 01:22 PM
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#11
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Old Man Jones Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,415 Joined: 26-February 02 From: New York Member No.: 1,699 |
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May 26 2006, 03:52 PM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 305 Joined: 2-March 03 Member No.: 4,188 |
This also boosts the market for cybernetic eyes than see using ultrasonic pulses.
So ... it's a win/win for us all! |
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