University of Illinois team builds first 3D thermal cloak that hides objects from infrared cameras
New 3D thermal invisibility cloak makes objects disappear from infrared cameras
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with the Technical University of Denmark, have built and tested the first three-dimensional thermal invisibility cloak. A 3D-printed aluminum lattice filled with a low-conductivity rubber directs heat around a hidden object, so an infrared camera sees the surrounding temperature pattern as if nothing were there. It works for complex shapes and from any heat direction, and keeps the interior thermally stable. Published in Nature Communications.
A real thermal cloak should work no matter where the heat comes from. Our device can hide a complex 3D object in an infinite number of directions while keeping the temperature inside stable and protected.