

Leap forward for invisibility cloaks - alexk
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090430/full/news.2009.417.html

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josefresco
"Invisibility 'carpets' that conceal objects by making bumps look flat can
work under near-infrared light, two teams of physicists have shown"

I believe that.

"And making a similar device that shields objects in visible light should be
relatively straightforward, they say.""

I do not believe that. Not because I think they're wrong, but rather I believe
it is their nature to be overly optimistic. It seems whenever scientists make
a new breakthrough, the next step is always 'easy' and 'should be out in the
next 5-10 years". Never happens.

~~~
kurtosis
Well you are right that these articles tend to be overly optimistic, but I
wouldn't say that it _never_ happens.

The most conspicuous example I can think of is:

Giant MagnetoResistance (GMR) read heads. These went from a laboratory
discovery to a widely adopted practical technology in about ~10-12 years. It's
discoverers were given the 2007 nobel prize in physics.

There are many other smaller profile examples from the materials processing
and photonics industries. Exponential growth in computing power / storage
depends on fast tracking these kind of discoveries.

