A Personal Invisibility Shield is on Sale Priced at Under $70

If you’ve ever dreamed of being able to vanish from sight, now’s your opportunity. A consumer “invisibility shield” has recently launched on Kickstarter, and you could own one for as low as £54 (approximately US$68).

Produced by the London-based Invisibility Shield Co, the Invisibility Shield 2.0 is available in Mini, Full, and Megashield variants. As the name suggests, it’s the upgraded version of the company’s initial Invisibility Shield.

So, what’s the mechanism behind it?

The Shield is designed as a curved panel of transparent, high-quality polycarbonate, supported vertically by a clear polycarbonate frame. Within this panel, an arrangement of slender lenses is embedded, extending from the top to the bottom.

Light Scattering Mechanism of the Invisibility Shield 2.0

When the user stands or crouches behind the device, the lenses scatter the surrounding light reflected by their body across the entire front of the Shield. Additionally, they scatter the light reflected by the user’s surroundings across the entire front as well.

Due to the user’s narrower profile compared to their background, the light from their body is effectively overshadowed by the light from the background. Consequently, an observer viewing the Shield from the front perceives only the diffused background light, seamlessly blending with their view of the actual background.

Optimal Conditions for Shield Effectiveness

The Shield is most effective when the user wears light-colored clothing and when the background has a relatively uniform appearance, ideally with horizontal lines to enhance the illusion. The distance of the viewer doesn’t affect the effectiveness of the Shield.

While the concept is innovative, its practical applications are diverse. Past uses of the original Invisibility Shield have included concealing contestants on a Korean dating show, remaining unseen during paintball games, performing stage magic tricks, hiding small items on an office desk for amusement, and observing wildlife. However, potential backers should be aware that users cannot clearly see their surroundings through the Shield; they must peek around it.

The Full-size Shield has dimensions of 3 feet, 3 inches tall by 2 feet, 3 inches wide (99 by 69 cm), while the Megashield measures 6 feet by 4 feet (183 by 122 cm). The Mini version, designed for concealing small items on an office desk, measures 1 foot by 7.9 inches (30.5 by 20 cm).

Assuming the production of the Invisibility Shield 2.0, a pledge of £299 (approximately US$378) will grant you the Full version, £699 ($883) for the Megashield, and £54 ($68) for the Mini. You can see the three models in action in the video below.

In case you’re curious, the Invisibility Shield 2.0 reportedly boasts increased size, reduced weight, enhanced durability, greater stability, improved brightness, easier portability, and broader viewing angles compared to its predecessor.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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