A team at the University of Rochester has come up with a new way to hide 3-dimensional objects from view.
The method, which could give even Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a run for its money, uses a combination of readily available optic lenses to render an object undetectable.
Unlike previous invisibility cloak concepts that involve special materials or cameras that project the image behind on to the front of the cloak to conceal an object, this one uses nothing but four simple lenses to achieve the invisibility effect.
"From what, we know this is the first cloaking device that provides three-dimensional, continuously multidirectional cloaking," said graduate student Joseph Choi.
"I imagine this could be used to cloak a trailer on the back of a semi-truck so the driver can see directly behind him. It can be used for surgery, in the military, in interior design, art."