Researchers in Spain have proven that metamaterials, materials defined by their unusual man-made cellular structure, can be designed to produce an acoustic cloak – a cloak that can make objects impervious to sound waves, literally diverting sound waves around an object.
The research, ‘Acoustic cloaking in two dimensions: a feasible approach’, published today, Friday, 13 June, 2008, in the New Journal of Physics (NJP), builds on recent theoretical research which has sought ways to produce materials that can hide objects from sound, sight and x-rays.
Do you really need it spelled out for you?
Oh. Well: it’s convenient that recent scientific advances would relate nicely to the properties of a device relied on frequently in Get Smart, and referred to as the “Cone of Silence”. Of course, it never worked that well–but that’s not the point. Not that there is a point. (I’m assuming the Cone of Silence is somehow featured in the new movie — and hope to find out, first-hand, soon enough. I can’t imagine it being left out.)
(via ScienceBlog: “Cloak of silence realized with metamaterials”)