It looks like we're one step closer to ruthenium polymers for the masses.

Invisibility Shield

I thought Ruthenium was supposed to work like the wings on butterflies, in which it mechanically reflects the right light spectrums to create the constrast and hue.
This is then controlled by microprocessors that collect images of the surroundings and copy it on the opposite side.

More like this:
http://www.thegreenhead.com/2004/05/japane...ility-cloak.php

Using metamaterials to bend light has huge engineering issues though.

There have been metamaterials that just get into the visible light spectrum, but it is the lower wavelengths (reds), even if you manage to get the size required for the shorter wavelengths (blues) in the visible spectrum there is still the issue of it being useless over a wide enough wavelength to be effective. eg. Thermographic vision will be weighted towards Infra-red wavelengths.
Then you have camera photoreceptors can pick up UV and IR if needed that would widen the wavelength band needed to bend around.
Then there is the issues with movement of the material that mean that would be useless for a clothing.

A good book that explains the engineering issues is Physics of the Impossible

Considering how effective Physical Invisibility via spell is, it would seen that research funding to develop a engineering solution would be hard to merit.

Where can i place an advanced order for one of those jackets? I would go great with my Bigfoot hunting gear.

If I had one, I'm afraid I'd just keep losing it.

"Dammit, I know I left it laying around here somewhere. Stupid invisible jacket..."

hah!

Really Officer, I'm telling you that disembodied head flashed his you-know-what at me. One second it was just a head floating by, the next all his buisness was in the street.

I think it would be great to engineer a material that can bend gamma and x-rays. This would allow people to clean up nuclear accidents and to explore space without killing the crew.

It would have to be via a different method, from what I recall the size of the holes needed in the metamaterial to negatively refract the visible light spectrum is equal to about 5 atoms wide.

Gamma rays have a wavelength one millions times smaller than the visible light spectrum and the holes would to be equally smaller.

The beauty of SR I guess, if science says it is impossible, go with Magic.