A 3D-printed thermal cloaking device hides objects from thermal imaging from any direction, according to a new study.
Designed and built by researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US, the aluminium-and-rubber device guides heat around an object, making it appear to infrared cameras as if nothing is there. It also protects these objects from extreme temperatures, and works from any direction.
“A real thermal cloak should work no matter where the heat comes from. Our device can hide a complex 3D object in an infinite number of directions while keeping the temperature inside stable and protected,” said civil and environmental engineering professor Shelly Zhang.
While previous experiments only worked in two dimensions or along a single direction of heat flow, the team used a lattice-based material that is able to be freely adjusted in three directions. Tuning these dimensions, they could precisely control how well different regions conduct heat.
The 3D-printed design is made...