Invisibility Cloak: What for art thou?
August 18 2008 / by John Heylin
Category: Social Issues Year: General Rating: 5
Just about everyone at some point in their lives (mostly childhood) has desired to possess a Harry Potter style invisibility cloak. The boundaries would have been limitless. No candy store would have been safe, no locker room unwatched, and no secret whisperings left unheard. Our infatuation with invisibility has gotten so intense that researchers are working nonstop to try and perfect an invisibility cloak for who knows what market. The military? The budding private eye? What could we possibly use them for?
The civilian applications of such a device all seem to have nefarious agendas. Think about it — What would you do with an invisibility cloak? Would you follow your kids to school? Sneak out to get the mail in your birthday suit? Like a t-shirt with the slogan “I just do what the voices tell me,” the novelty would soon wear off. There just isn’t any reason why the average person should have an invisibility cloak.
What about the military? Invisibility cloaks could come in handy for all sorts of missions and tactical situations. Someone invisible can get a lot closer to a target and disappear a lot quicker than someone without.
But wouldn’t that just make the reliance on infrared technology that much greater? A squad of soldiers invisibly crawling up on an enemy airfield is going to look pretty good on infrared cameras. The idea that an enemy, after hearing about the availability of invisibility technology, wouldn’t go to lengths to protect themselves is crazy. Then again, the idea of a dogfight at 30,000 feet with invisible planes does make one’s head float.
In the end, invisibility cloaks could only be successfully used against an inferior enemy. That could be anything from a group of fighters in central Baghdad to a hostage situation at your local bank. There are indeed positives to such a technology, but the idea that you can expect it for the mass market is not only silly, but downright irresponsible.
Image: Acid Zebra (Flickr,CC-Attribution)
Comment Thread (1 Response)
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I see it now. All of the technology resisting luddites on Earth will be forced to wear augmented reality goggles in order to employ their anti-invisibility features.
Posted by: Alvis Brigis August 22, 2008
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