A Cloaking Device that Really Works -- Underwater

Image via Wikipedia
The last of the "Harry Potter" movies have come and gone. But a search for the "invisibility cloak" lives! Researchers at the University of Dallas announced a ground-breaking cloaking device that can make things disappear -- as long as they are underwater.

According to the press release, this cool experiment "not only takes advantage of one of nature's most bizarre phenomenons, but also boasts unique features; it has an 'on and off' switch and is best used underwater."

The best part: There's a video that shows the disappearing act in action. In the demonstration, an off-camera switch is flicked, and an object in an underwater tank disappears and reappears, as if by magic.

This is done by basically recreating a mirage underwater. And yes, the most common mirage really is imagining you see a pool of water where none exists (think oasis in the desert). Your mind plays a trick when the ground is hotter than the air, causing light rays to bend upward toward your eye, rather than bounce off the surface.

The science behind the magic trick: As announced in the Nanotechnology journal, the design makes use of sheets of carbon nanotubes, which the press release explains, "have the density of air but the strength of steel." By conducting heat and transferring it to surrounding areas, it can mimic a mirage. And Prest-O Change-o, you've got an underwater disappearing act.

An Institute of Physics spokesperson said in a statement, "The array of applications that could arise