10 Incredible Inventions Which Could Change The Future Of The Planet

2. Invisibility Cloaks

At one point or another most people have probably fantasized about what they would do if they had the power to turn themselves invisible - usually the first thing that springs to mind involves doing something you really know you shouldn't, like robbing a bank or sneaking into the White House. The idea that someone might actually design and manufacture an invisibility cloak seems completely outlandish, but inventors have already come up with a few techniques to achieve the effect. German researchers discovered a way to hide small objects by diverting light around an object, while in Japan the UTD NanoTech Institute metamaterials are used to allow a person to wear a cloak which bends light around them. It's highly unlikely that fully effective invisibility cloaks will ever become commercially available (the effect on crime rate would no doubt be huge if they did) but don't be surprised if they get a military application and are used by special forces teams.