Science Fiction - Closer to Reality

[Bo D]

Harry Potter's Cloak

http://www.rdmag.com/News/2010/11/Materials-Photonics-Meta-flex-Your-new-brand-for-invisibility-clothing/

Flexible smart materials that can manipulate light to shield objects from view have been much-theorised but now researchers in Scotland have made a practical breakthrough that brings the possibility of an invisibility cardigan – or any other item of invisibility clothing - one step closer.

[Bo D]

See me, Obi-Wan Kenobi: Scientists seek 3-D video


http://www.rdmag.com/News/2010/11/Information-Tech-See-me-Obi-Wan-Kenobi-Scientists-seek-3-D-video/

Scientists say they have taken a big step toward displaying live video in three dimensions — a technology far beyond 3-D movies and more like the "Star Wars" scene where a ghostly Princess Leia image pleads, "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

In that classic movie, the audience sees her back before a new camera perspective shows her face. Such a wraparound view of a moving image was just movie-trick fantasy in the 1977 film, but now?

"It is actually very, very close to reality. We have demonstrated the concept that it works. It's no longer something that is science fiction," said Nasser Peyghambarian of the University of Arizona.