IBM has filed for a patent for a blanket that can make anything it covers invisible. The blanket is made up of an array of light sensors on one part and an array of light emitters on another part. When the blanket is covered over an object such as a car, light coming from objects lying on the side of the light sensors is detected and routed to matched portions of the array of light emitters. As a result, an observer present on the side of the light emitters can see exactly what lies behind the car, thus making it see-through. A key feature emphasized in the patent is that this technology does not use any computing. It simply receives light at one point on the sensor array, amplifies it and routes it to a light emitter located exactly opposite to the sensing point.
Patent Information
Publication number: US 20150365642 A1
Patent Title: Cloaking Device
Publication type: Grant
Application number: US 14/837307
Publication date: 17 Dec 2015
Filing date: 27 Aug 2015
Inventors: Eric V. Kline; Frank R. Libsch; Thomas S. Mazzeo;
Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation