Abra Kadabra! Weizmann’s light bending invisibility experiment
If an eccentric professor who worked on the science of invisibility promised not to make you disappear, would you believe him?
Last Wednesday, one brave young volunteer did just that.
Young David Ruhman, son of Roberto, who is one of Weizmann UK’s supporters, took part in an invisibility in the experiment.
A week later, to the eternal relief of his parents and teachers, David thankfully remains visible.
The occasion was a light-bending lecture by Prof. Ulf Leonhardt, who researches the science of invisibility at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, creating optical illusions and causing things to ‘vanish’.
Describing how the way light travels through materials, Leonhardt used expanding water-storing crystals in his live demonstration, which became invisible in the container.
For his young helper, seeing was not believing – when he scooped his hand into the water, there they were.
Leonhardt went on to discuss practical uses for researching invisibility, from masking aircraft and submarines, to deflecting the waves of earthquakes to protect homes and buildings.
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