In an era when scenic campsites are becoming ever more crowded, a high-tech solution to the ‘view pollution’ problem could be about to put the Big Lap back on track … by making other campers disappear!
UK-based Invisibility Shield Co. has just launched a radically upgraded range of its second- generation ‘invisibility shields’ and the results are mind-boggling.
The team spent four years developing and testing optical cloaking technology to create their latest shields, which can hide people and objects completely from view in broad daylight.
The new shields have also been designed with convenience in mind and can pack down to a fraction of their assembled size, allowing people to easily take them anywhere they want to disappear.
The Invisibility Shield Co. uses precision lens arrays to make objects seem to disappear. PIC: Invisibility Shield Co
Three sizes are available; ‘the Mini’ at 20cm tall, the ‘Full size’ at 91cm tall and the team’s largest ever shield, ‘the Megashield’ which stands at around 183cm tall. The two largest models feature ergonomic handles which allow the user to carry the shield whilst keeping their body in the optimum position to remain invisible.
The rigid frame means the shields are also freestanding, allowing the user to disappear behind at any distance. Each unit is fully waterproof and does not require batteries.
The team’s goal of turning fictional superpowers into real world products has been realised with the use of ultra-large precision engineered lens arrays. These arrays, which form the face of each shield, redirect light that reflects off the person standing behind the shield, away from the observer on the other side.
The shape and placement of these lenses then causes background light from either side of the shields to spread over the shield’s face and be directed towards the observer instead, effectively cloaking whatever is behind.
While grey nomads wait for the next generation of even bigger invisibility shields to potentially help make crowded campsites look empty, there are perhaps some other uses for the current working invisibility shields that you can just roll up and sling over your shoulder.
For example, maybe they will allow travellers to sit under the awnings outside their vans without being spotted and harangued by the campsite ‘bore’, or maybe they’ll allow stealth campers to park up in car parks and reserves without being ‘nabbed’ by the council ranger!
Are you a Grey Nomad member yet? Click here to find out about the discounts, competitions and other benefits on offer.
