today i learned about the "carpet cloak".

as annoying as i find the daily loh down on science on NPR, it does provide me with interesting new findings and happenings in science. today's was about an invisibility carpet that works in the infrared.

The carpet is composed of a unique silicon material. The material's structure allows it to actually steer light in a two-dimensional plane around any object it encounters.

So, when light shines on an object swept under this particular rug, it goes around the bulge. No shadow is left. Result - a completely flat appearance.

So far, Zhang's invisibility cloak only operates at near-infrared frequencies. But the team says it's only a matter of time before the carpet works with visible light as well. Meaning true invisibility to the naked eye.