London-based startup Invisibility Shield has started selling personal “invisibility shields” for $70 as part of a Kickstarter campaign.
Those who hide behind the screen become invisible to the observers standing in front of the screen. Almost like the Harry Potter characters who covered themselves with a magic invisibility cloak.
Invisibility Shield 2.0 is available in several sizes | Mini, Full and Megashield. The most expensive full-length version costs about $380.
The curved panels are made of transparent high-quality polycarbonate, which is held in place by a transparent polycarbonate frame at the back. An array of thin, plano-convex cylindrical lenses on a substrate is inserted into it.
The device weighs from 3.6 kg in the mini version and up to 16 kg in the full-size version. It is easy to assemble and disassemble.
When the user stands or crouches behind the device, the lenses scatter the ambient light reflected by their body across the entire front surface of the Shield. They also diffuse the light reflected by the background. The result is an optical illusion, and for someone looking at the shield from the front, it blends in perfectly with the background.
The shield works best if the user is dressed in light-colored clothing and if the background is fairly uniform. At the same time, the illusion is preserved at any distance from the viewer’s side.
According to the developers, you can not only have fun with the screen, but also camouflage yourself while watching wildlife.
The Invisibility Shield has already been used in Korean dating shows, in stage magic tricks, and even in wildlife observations. However, users themselves can’t clearly see their surroundings through the Invisibility Shield — they have to peek out from behind it.
