Scientists one more step closer to realising invisible technology.

A unique computer model designed by a mathematician at the University of Liverpool has shown that it is possible to make objects, such as aeroplanes and submarines, appear invisible at close range.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news97945163.html#jCp

Scientists have already created an ‘invisibility cloak’ made out of ‘metamaterial’ which can bend electromagnetic radiation – such as visible light, radar or microwaves – around a spherical space, making an object within this region appear invisible. Until now, scientists could only make objects appear invisible from far away. Liverpool mathematician Dr Sébastien Guenneau, together with Dr Frédéric Zolla and Professor André Nicolet from the University of Marseille, have proven - using a specially designed computer model called GETDP - that objects can also be made to appear invisible from close range when light travels in waves rather than beams. Scientists predict that metamaterials could be of use in military technology, such as in the construction of fighter jets and submarines, but it will be some years before invisibility cloaks can be developed for human beings. Dr Guenneau, at the University’s Department of Mathematical Science, explains: “The shape and structure of aeroplanes make them ideal objects for cloaking, as they have a fixed structure and movement pattern. Human beings and animals are more difficult as their movement is very flexible, so the cloak - as it is designed at the moment - would easily be seen when the person or animal made any sudden movement. “A cloak, such as the one worn by the Harry Potter character for example, is not yet possible but it is a good example of what we are trying to move towards. Using this new computer model we can prove that light can bend around an object under a cloak and is not diffracted by the object. This happens because the metamaterial that makes up the cloak stretches the metrics of space, in a similar way to what heavy planets and stars do for the metrics of space-time in Einstein’s general relativity theory. “In order for the cloaking device to work in the first place light has to separate into two or more waves resulting in a new wave pattern. Within this pattern we get light and dark regions which are needed in order for an object to appear invisible. “Until now, however, it was not clear whether photons – particles that make up all forms of light – can split and form new waves when the light source is close to the object. If we use ray optic techniques – where light travels in beams - photons break down at close range and the object does not appear invisible. If we study light as it travels in waves however, invisibility is maintained.” Scientists predict that invisibility will be possible for objects of any shape and size within the next decade.

Could Mars Rover Curiosity Come Home?

As soon as NASA's newest six-wheeled rover touched down on the Martian surface, the world was hooked. Those JPL geniuses not only managed to land a robot the size of a small SUV on another planet, they captured the imagination of millions.
But with all this love and fondness for a rover called 'Curiosity' came the inevitable question: Will she come home?
My answer has always been: Of course not! How the heck could that huge robot be shipped back to Earth? It didn't land on Mars with an open return ticket and it certainly didn't bring its own return rocket booster!
But it turns out that my "obvious" answer may have been a little hasty. NASA's Mars mission chief thinks a return trip might be an option for future explorers.
"It is my hope that humans will be sent to Mars in the 2030s, or 2040s, and they will be able to walk up to Curiosity and bring it back, as I am sure there is a museum out there that would love to have it," said Doug McCuistion, Director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

Unlike rovers sent before it, Curiosity is powered by a plutonium heat source. Tiny pellets of the radioactive material encased inside a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) provides an uninterrupted flow of electricity to the rover's instrumentation.
Previous rovers, like the currently operational Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, used solar panels to harvest sunlight for energy, but this form of electricity production is at the mercy of the day/night cycle, dust storms and dust deposits.
Although Curiosity's planned mission lifespan is 2 years, the RTG energy source could extend its lifespan by 20 years. In that case, could the first manned mission land on Mars while Curiosity is still operational?
McCuistion said that although he could imagine astronauts walking up to Curiosity, the rover's instrumentation would likely break down before the energy source ran out -- if humans did approach the robot, she'd likely be long dead.
For me, although it seems poetic to "bring the rover back" (or "leave no robot behind!") I'd prefer to leave Curiosity on Mars as a monument to the science she did in the "pioneering days" of Mars exploration.
Curiosity was "built" to be a Martian; she's right at home. It seems only right it should be her final resting place too. -- but not for a long while yet.

Mercedes-Benz attempts to make an invisible car.

 Automakers are engaged in a constant struggle to get their products noticed. From clever advertising to sneaky movie deals and wild stunts, putting a vehicle in front of the public is the first step toward wrangling better sales figures. Mercedes-Benz recently took a different approach for the upcoming hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the F-Cell. While the company rolled out a special version of the car in front of the public, it did its best to hide the hatchback behind a veil of special LED matting. The LEDs were paired to a Canon 5D Mark II on the other side of the car, which supplied video.

As a result, the LEDs project an image of what's on the other side of the vehicle, making the F-Cell effectively invisible. Why hide a new car behind a curtain of techno wizardry? Mercedes-Benz wants to underscore the fact that the F-Cell is a zero-emission vehicle, making it practically invisible in terms of pollution. We see what you did there, Mercedes-Benz.

Google driverless car.

 MAY GOOGLE RULE THE WORLD IN FUTURE.

 The Google Driverless Car is a project by Google that involves developing technology for driverless cars. The project is currently being led by Google engineer Sebastian Thrun, director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and co-inventor of Google Street View. Thrun's team at Stanford created the robotic vehicle Stanley which won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge and its US$2 million prize from the United States Department of Defense. The team developing the system consisted of 15 engineers working for Google, including Chris Urmson, Mike Montemerlo, and Anthony Levandowski who had worked on the DARPA Grand and Urban Challenges.

The system combines information gathered from Google Street View with artificial intelligence software that combines input from video cameras inside the car, a LIDAR sensor on top of the vehicle, radar sensors on the front of the vehicle and a position sensor attached to one of the rear wheels that helps locate the car's position on the map. In 2009, Google obtained 3,500 miles of Street View images from driverless cars with minor human intervention. As of 2010, Google has tested several vehicles equipped with the system, driving 1,609 kilometres (1,000 mi) without any human intervention, in addition to 225,308 kilometres (140,000 mi) with occasional human intervention. Google expects that the increased accuracy of its automated driving system could help reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths, while using energy and space on roadways more efficiently.
The project team has equipped a test fleet of at least eight vehicles, consisting of six Toyota Prius, an Audi TT, and a Lexus RX450h, each accompanied in the driver's seat by one of a dozen drivers with unblemished driving records and in the passenger seat by one of Google's engineers. The car has traversed San Francisco's Lombard Street, famed for its steep hairpin turns and through city traffic. The vehicles have driven over the Golden Gate Bridge and on the Pacific Coast Highway, and have circled Lake Tahoe. The system drives at the speed limit it has stored on its maps and maintains its distance from other vehicles using its system of sensors. The system provides an override that allows a human driver to take control of the car by stepping on the brake or turning the wheel, similar to cruise control systems already in cars.

Google’s Project Glass and the future of augmented reality.

Bring the world just an inch far to your eye 
Google’s augmented reality eyewear will provide hands-free access to maps, weather information, message notifications and more, all displayed as a virtual layer on top of the user’s regular vision.

Science fiction has been predicting virtual or augmented reality for 50 years – just think of the Terminator films. But perhaps the predicted future has arrived in the shape of a ubiquitous fashion item.
Certainly in the next few years, our visual relationship with the world around us will come with additional layers of information.
Imagine the cityscape becoming the backdrop for 3D, location-specific advertising.
You could be walking down a city street, wearing your augmented reality (AR) glasses, and see someone wearing a pair of shoes you like. Using image recognition the glasses would pick up the brand and style of the shoe then send you to the online store.
To purchase you would only need focus your eyes on the “add to cart” button. And if you hesitated, the shoe retailer might send a virtual salesperson into the space in front of you to try to close the deal.
Advertising content could still be delivered through traditional television-style advertising but, with AR, your eyewear could create 3D models of products you could (virtually) rotate in your hand (in the case of, say, a new watch) or even walk around (in the case of a new car).
This will be the commercial reality of augmented technology and will allow companies such as Google or Facebook to expand the reach and depth of their advertising campaigns.

Building augmented reality

Here at the University of Western Australia, our architecture students have been developing other novel uses for this technology.
The study of past and present buildings is obviously a vital part of an architect’s education. Students currently study images of buildings and plans from history books or the internet.
As part of their course, our students constructed an array of virtual buildings in Perth and the surrounding area. The most outstanding project was a real-scale model of a 30-metre-tall cathedral.

This building was “placed” (in a virtual sense) on the UWA lawn using GPS positioning in Google Earth’s 3D Buildings feature.
After downloading an app to their iPhone or iPad, students could walk through and around the building and get a real feel for the space, rather than just seeing a drawing or computer model.
This works by projecting the real environment using the devices camera and the relative GPS co-ordinates. The latest devices can also track the motion of the device. This creates a simulated space in the real space, all experienced through the screen. The development of AR glasses would make this experience even more immersive.
(Sadly, Google Earth soon got wind of our new cathedral and “switched it off”, given it’s not a true building.)
The opportunity for using AR to teach architects is profound. Indeed, we are already planning an exhibition of architecture in a series of parks around Australia.
If you had the compatible eyeware you would merely turn up in your own time and the ghostly buildings would inhabit the park just as any other building inhabits a city.
No physical gallery space would be required for this exhibition.

Heritage potential

The rise of augmented reality and eyeware will also change the way tourists experience the history of our cities and other locations of historical and cultural significance.
Virtual stories could be played out within historical ruins, with AR layered on top of the existing structure.

Imagine arriving at the ancient Greek theatre at Taormina, Sicily (see above) to see the ruins in their present-day state.
You could then put on your AR eyeware and watch an ancient Greek play be enacted in front of you, with the smoking volcano of Mount Etna in the background.
And the language barrier wouldn’t be a problem. Your eyeware could display subtitles in your language of choice at the bottom of your field of vision.
This cultural theorists' dream would play out on the inside surface of your eyeware, adding virtual content to your vision of the real-world historical structure.

Keeping your eye on the ball

There’s also a considerable overlap between 3D gaming technology and the capabilities of augmented reality.
If you could use your eyeware to play a game, the game space would no longer be confined to your living room or wherever your mobile gaming device might be.
Instead the game space becomes an overlay of your immediate environment and real-world objects become part of the game world. Indeed, with the Playstation Vita handheld console, such gaming is already possible.

While Google’s Project Glass is still undergoing testing, it’s clear that AR devices will be with us sooner or later. The advent of eyeware will change the way we communicate, just as smartphones such as the iPhone have.
Where smartphones have merged the internet and daily life in an accessible and often-addictive way, AR eyeware will take it once step further.
This technology will deliver the ability to inhabit a realistic 3D, internet-driven virtual reality while still experiencing reality a the same time.
This vision is both exciting and daunting.