--- title: "Researchers Invent Material That Could Create Invisibility Cloak" description: "A team of researchers in South Korea are developing an artificial \"skin\" that could allow soldiers to perfectly blend in with their surroundings." date: "2020-12-07" modified: "2020-12-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/researchers-invent-material-create-invisibility-cloak" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "invisibility" - "invisibility cloak" - "the digest" --- # Researchers Invent Material That Could Create Invisibility Cloak ![A team of researchers in South Korea are developing an artificial "skin" that could allow soldiers to perfectly blend in with their surroundings.]() *\Image: 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command/Victor Tangermann\* ## Invisibility Cloak A team of researchers in South Korea are developing an artificial "skin" that could allow soldiers to perfectly blend in with their surroundings. Such a cloak could make them invisible not only to regular cameras, [*Defense One* reports](), but infrared-based night vision ones as well. The skin, as detailed in a [new paper]() published in the journal *Advanced Functional Materials*, can camouflage itself and is capable of cooling down or heating up depending on its surrounding environment, which could make future soldiers difficult to spot on thermal imaging cameras. ## Blending In Individual "pixels" make up the device, each containing thermochromic liquid crystals that allow them to change their color. In experiments, the team showed off their cloak's capabilities. A patch attached to the back of a hand turned blue for instance once that hand was placed on a blue surface. ![]() *Image Credit: Sueng et al.* The patch isn't yet capable of recognizing ambient colors. Their demonstrations still required them to manually input the surrounding colors, according to *Defense One*. The team is however planning to integrate a "micro camera" next to allow for an "autonomously working device," as Seung Hwan Ko, researcher at Seoul National University and team lead, told *Defense One*. Seung and his team are also planning to scale up their invention and allow the device to still function in extreme temperatures. **READ MORE:** [‘Artificial Skin’ May One Day Make Troops Invisible, Even to Heat Sensors]() \[*Defense One*\] **More on invisibility cloaks:** *[Watch a Real-Life Invisibility Cloak Designed for Military Use]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()