I remember when this was a thing:

When I still taught computer classes & we were covering future tech, I’d show that video and watch my students be amazed. Then this week, I saw this:

Photo credit: Image courtesy of University of Rochester

The image above is way behind anything in that several year old video. This particular project, conducted by Joseph Choi and John Howell at the University of Rochester, created a lens that prevents objects from being seen (optically anyway).

We’ve had cloaks before that can prevent objects from being detected by radar, touch, sound, or electromagnetic radiation, but this one is different. It prevents the object from being optically detected, continuously and from multiple directions.

This is big, folks. And not just for the military. Think about the uses for people driving or security guards in buildings.

Here’s a nifty video demonstrating the effect. Pretty freaking cool.

On the future we go!