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Invisibility used to be the stuff of comic books and Harry Potter novels. But this week, scientists from UC Berkeley have emerged with two new invisibility-producing "metamaterials," engineered substances that bend electromagnetic waves in ways they've never bent before. They call it "negative refraction." But you and I can just call it the first step towards invisible armor. We talked to one of the Berkeley scientists involved, and got the scoop. More »
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Ever wanted to create luminescent designs or safety arrows in your floor, but weren't too crazy about those crappy, glow-in-the-dark stickers? Now a company in the Netherlands called Hidden Safety is marketing luminescent gravel, which can be mixed into concrete floors to create beautiful patterns or just point people the right direction in the dark. The gravel looks ordinary in light, but it is actually absorbing photons (hence, the material is often called photoluminescent). When darkness falls, photons zoom out of the gravel and create a glow. More »
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One squirt of smart paint could create a small moving picture on the next bottle of pop you buy. This paint, which is being developed at the University of Warwick in the UK, essentially smears an electrical power system onto any surface: bottle, computer, even your hands. The electrified surface could then display a moving image; or it could provide camouflage, changing color to match its environment. Or it could become a tracking device, perfect for a surveillance society. More »
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Get ready for windows that never break with translucent concrete. A German design firm has created load-bearing concrete containing optical fibers, allowing light and color to pass through to the other side (the shadowy hand is what you can see through the concrete in direct light). The result is that you can live inside a sunlit dome and still be protected when the space invaders come and drop those dangerous light thingies on your head. Click through for more transluscent concrete, and some transparent aluminum too. More »
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