"Science Fiction Into Reality": Real Life 'Invisibility Shield' Hides Users In Plain Sight

A British startup, Invisibility Shield Co., created something straight out of a 'Harry Potter' film. The startup has made a 6-foot-tall "Megashield" sold for $828, which they claim that it can make multiple people invisible.  

According to a report by the New York Post, the startup has made shields by using ultra-large, precision-engineered lens arrays, which form the face of each shield and redirect light that reflects off the person standing behind the shield, away from the observer.

These innovative shields use clever lens design to bend light around an object. By strategically capturing background light and directing it towards the viewer, they create the illusion of whatever's behind them simply disappearing.

However, it's not perfect invisibility. The technology creates a slight blur, like a hidden object behind a frosted glass window.

Despite this limitation, the shields offer some impressive features. They're waterproof, require no power source, and are even eco-friendly, built entirely from recyclable materials.

"The possibilities are endless but most important of all, these shields are great fun. They're fun to play around with and exciting for us to make," Invisibility Shield designer Tristan Thompson told South West News Service.

The startup launched its product in 2022 with a 3-foot-tall shield worth $354 and a smaller version standing at 8 inches tall sold for $54.

The startup crowdfunded on Kickstarter in hopes of "turning science fiction into reality" in 2022 and raised a $6,600 goal expecting to ship customers by the end of that year. 

Invisibility Shield Co. updated the Kickstarter funder on Tuesday to announce the updated product. 

The latest version of the invisibility shield can hide multiple people, stand on its own and be packed down to 2.3 inches of thickness, "allowing people to easily take them anywhere they want to disappear," the company claimed.

"We wanted to see how far we could push this technology. A real working invisibility shield that you can just roll up and sling over your shoulder? Two years ago nobody thought anyone could do that," Thompson said.