[E205]Now you see it, now you don’t: Invisibility cloak nears……

A cloak[斗蓬；宽大外衣；托词] of invisibility[隐形] may be common in science fiction[科幻小说] but it is not so easy in the real world. New research suggests such a device may be moving closer to reality. Scientists say they have successfully tested an ultra-thin[超薄] invisibility cloak[隐身衣] made of microscopic rectangular gold blocks[微观黄金矩形块] that, like skin, conform to[符合；遵照] the shape of an object and can render[ 致使；提出；实施；着色；以…回报] it undetectable[发现不了的；无法觉察的] with visible light[可见光].

We do not see fundamental roadblocks[基本的障碍]. But much more work needs to be done.

Xiang Zhang, director of the Materials Sciences Division.

The cloak, 80 nanometers[毫微米（即十亿分之一米）纳米] in thickness, was wrapped around a three-dimensional object[三维物体] shaped with bumps and dents[凸起和凹痕]. The cloak’s surface rerouted light waves scattered[分散的；散乱的] from the object to make it invisible to optical detection[光学检测]. It may take five to 10 years to make the technology practical to use. The technology involves so-called metamaterials, which possess properties not present in nature. Their surfaces bear features much smaller than the size of a wavelength[波长] of light. They redirect incoming light waves, shifting them away from the object being cloaked.