First 3D thermal invisibility cloak hides objects from infrared cameras

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Technical University of Denmark built and tested the first three-dimensional thermal cloak, which conceals objects from infrared cameras regardless of heat direction while keeping the interior temperature stable. The device uses a 3D-printed aluminum lattice filled with a rubber-like material, and the findings were published in Nature Communications.

• Cloak works for heat arriving from any direction, unlike 2D prototypes
• Aluminum lattice is 3D metal printed, gaps filled with low-conductivity rubber
• Infrared camera sees the background pattern; interior stays uniform
• Complex 3D shapes, including detailed human-head geometries, were hidden