British Test Invisible Tank Technology
24 December 2007, 11:14
Categories: optics--photonics
The British Ministry of Defence has revealed “new” technology which effectively renders tanks invisible. The MoD is quoted as having said: “We’ve already had some success in making vehicles invisible and it’s still early days.” The Army added that the in-service debut of an invisible tank could only be five years away.
The technology is understood to employ the use of cameras and projectors, which transmit images of the surrounding terrain onto the tank itself. Consequently, those surveying the space where the tank is present will be able to view only the backdrop. The exact specifications of the technology remains classified, but it is thought that the Ministry of Defence is also exploring its use on clothing.
Its creator is Imperial College London’s Professor Sir John Pendry, who has been working on invisibility via metamaterials for some time. Pendry said the only snag was the operability of the cameras/ projectors used. “The next stage,” he said, “is to make the tank invisible without them – which is intricate and complicated, but possible.”
For unclassified technology that is similar, if not exactly the same, check out the Optical Camouflage project by the Tachi Lab at the University of Tokyo. Additionally, way back in 2000, NASA released an Adaptive Camouflage Tech Brief which describes this exact scenario, complete with an image of a cloaked tank (shown above).
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Posted by: The Editors
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