A start-up is selling a real-life “invisibility shield” for $878 that can make multiple people disappear in plain sight.
The megashield — which measures 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide — uses a precision-engineered lens array to bend light, rendering objects behind it almost invisible.
U.K. start-up Invisibility Shield Co. came up with the idea for an invisible cloaking device, that sounds like the magical garment straight out of Harry Potter, back in 2022.
Since then, the firm has developed and tested various cloaking devices, before landing on the latest megashield design which is constructed from high-grade polycarbonate.
The shields utilize ultra-large, precision-engineered lens arrays. These arrays, which form the shield’s face, redirect light bouncing off the person behind the shield away from the observer, rendering them invisible.
The lens’ configuration causes background light from either side of the shield to spread over its face and be directed towards the observer, effectively cloaking what is behind it so that makes people “disappear” in broad daylight.
Invisibility Shield Co.’s Megashield can conceal multiple individuals standing side by side.
“The lenses in this array are oriented so that the vertical strip of light reflected by the standing/crouching subject becomes diffuse when spread out horizontally on passing through the back of the shield,” the Invisibility Shield Co. explains on its Kickstarter page.
‘Nobody Thought Anybody Could Do This’
The invisibility shields are designed to be stable when left freestanding, meaning that they are easy to hold and easy to take wherever the person wants to go. Ergonomic handles also make holding and carrying the shield and help keep the person’s body in the optimum position to stay hidden.
The shields also feature a compact design that collapses to 1/30th of their assembled size, facilitating easy transport.
“The possibilities are endless, but most importantly, these shields are great fun,” Invisibility Shield Co. designer Tristan Thompson tells DesignBoom.
“They’re fun to play around with and exciting for us to make. We wanted to see how far we could push this technology.
“A real working invisibility shield that you can just roll up and sling over your shoulder? Two years ago, nobody thought anyone could do that.”
The new invisibility megashields are available for pre-order on Kickstarter for 60 days at the price of $878 (£699) and can be shipped anywhere around the world. Backers on Kickstarter get priority in receiving the product and they are estimated to go out for delivery in December.
Image credits: All photos by Invisibility Shield Co.
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