Acoustic superlens could mask ships from sonar... in theory, anyway
By Darren Murph 
posted May 31st 2009 9:32PM
posted May 31st 2009 9:32PM
Man, the mad scientists are really on a roll of late. First we hear that Li-ion cells are set to magically double in capacity, and now we're learning that a new form of invisibility cloak is totally gearing up for its Target debut. As the seemingly endless quest to bend light in such a way as to create a sheath of invisibility continues, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Nicholas Fang has reportedly developed a metamaterial that acts as a type of acoustic superlens. In theory, at least, this approach would rely on phreaking with sound rather than light in order to intensely focus ultrasound waves; by doing so, one could hypothetically "hide ships from sonar." To be fair, this all sounds entirely more believable than hiding massive vessels from human sight, but we're still not taking our skeptic hat off until we see (er, don't see?) a little proof.[Via Slashdot]
Is that f***ing gold?
Why would the United States want to hide from sonar?
Usually they just show up with big tanks and planes.. ravage a country, take what they want (oil) and leave...
FACK THE UK, the live in a facist state.. F their police...
I didn't know a troll could be a nationalist.
The more you know.
but couldn't they just use sonar that relies on electromagnetic radiation instead of sound . .but then i guess it wouldn't be sonar . meh
Umm, that would be RADAR: radio detection and ranging
SONAR:sound navigation and ranging
Electromagnetic waves do not propagate well in water. Under water SONAR is not very practical.
You mean underwater RADAR is not very practical because EM waves don't propogate well underwater. Underwater SONAR is very practical because sound waves DO propogate very well underwater.
oops my bad :P
Awesome, now if only it works... meh.
Also does anyone else think Darren lives at Engadget, and not wanting to admit he doesn't actually have a home stays at Engadget all weekend writing us articles to read.
[If the comment system didn't suck a heart would go here]
Maybe he's the weekend editor, or at least filling in this weekend?
Maybe a script that post at a desired time?! make more sens.
If that's what he does, god bless him.
@Boards of Canada, it is every 1.5 hours, but it's always a little off, not normal for computers to be inconsistent, more of a human attribute.
Combine this with the invisibility cloak that's in the works... so I can go around and secretly fart in crowded spaces.
can you not be any more creative than that?
That's even cooler than the caterpiller drive in the Red October. They can (theoretically) create an "invisible" submarine. Let's hope the captain won't be a crazed man (or woman) bound for world domination.
WOO URBANA! (
Make things that get us further into space, please.
Sonar != "human sight"
You seem to be confusing hiding from sonar with hiding from sight, not the same thing, just a comparison used in the /. article.
I hear the first ship they are going to equip this on is the USS Eldridge...
The problem is when 2 submarines use it and then collide...
It already happened a few month ago and they were not even using such technologies !
Hmmm.... Not sure if this is needed.
A British submarine and a French submarine managed to collide with each other in the open ocean without this technology. The hadn't seen each other!!!
So if they want to demonstrate how this technology can cause more collisions (even if it doesn't work), call the British and the French!
If this is being shown now it has already been used for 15 years at least in secret.
The stuff being worked on in secret by research Universities for the government is far beyond what most people are capable of understanding.
I-L-L!
...
???
I-N-I!!!
late reply is better than no reply