LIVERPOOL, England, May 10 (UPI) -- A British mathematician has created a computer model that shows it's possible to make objects such as airplanes invisible, even at close range.
Scientists have already created an "invisibility cloak" made of a metamaterial that can bend electromagnetic radiation around a spherical space, making an object appear invisible.
But scientists currently can only make objects appear invisible from a distance. Now University of Liverpool mathematician Sebastien Guenneau -- in collaboration with Frederic Zolla and Professor Andre Nicolet of the University of Marseille -- has designed a computer model that proves objects can also be made to appear invisible from close range when light travels in waves rather than beams.
Scientists predict metamaterials could be of use in military technology, but it will be some years before invisibility cloaks can be developed for human beings.
"A cloak, such as the one worn by the Harry Potter character for example, is not yet possible, but it is a good example of what we are trying to move towards," said Guenneau.
Scientists predict invisibility will be possible for objects of any shape and size within the next decade.
The research findings are available in the journal Optic Letters.
