One of the hot tech news articles that have been floating around online recently is that Land Rover was able to invent this Transparent Hood technology. However, for the rest of us who have been following tech, specifically cloaking and invisibility concepts, we already know that the military has been toying with things like this for years. It is still exciting that it has finally landed on the consumer market, and everyone who uses it will benefit from it. There are also some differences between traditional cloaking concepts, and what Land Rover has patented.
The traditional cloaking method I am referring to is known as Quantum Stealth Technology.
This method removes visual light, infrared light, thermal signatures, and the shadow cast by the target. This method is different from what land Rover has announced because this method does not use cameras, batteries, lights, or mirrors. This method works by bending the light waves around the target.
The Land Rover method uses cameras and a windshield projection system. It is also possible by using augmented reality. The cameras are located on the lower-front bumper of the vehicle, and the video is fed to a projector inside the car, and projected onto the inside of the windshield. The video feed is superimposed onto the hood of the vehicle, so it looks like the hood is transparent.
Now you can see that the Quantum Stealth method is far superior, as one can view the object from any angle, and never see the target, whereas Land Rover's method is only useful from inside the car. However, someday I am hopeful that the car manufacturers will start making hoods out of the Quantum Stealth material.
Car Rear Vehicle Backup View Camera (Waterproof)
The traditional cloaking method I am referring to is known as Quantum Stealth Technology.
This method removes visual light, infrared light, thermal signatures, and the shadow cast by the target. This method is different from what land Rover has announced because this method does not use cameras, batteries, lights, or mirrors. This method works by bending the light waves around the target.
The Land Rover method uses cameras and a windshield projection system. It is also possible by using augmented reality. The cameras are located on the lower-front bumper of the vehicle, and the video is fed to a projector inside the car, and projected onto the inside of the windshield. The video feed is superimposed onto the hood of the vehicle, so it looks like the hood is transparent.
Now you can see that the Quantum Stealth method is far superior, as one can view the object from any angle, and never see the target, whereas Land Rover's method is only useful from inside the car. However, someday I am hopeful that the car manufacturers will start making hoods out of the Quantum Stealth material.
Here are two products you can use to build your own transparent hood system:
Car Rear Vehicle Backup View Camera (Waterproof)
Garmin Head-Up Display (HUD) Dashboard Mounted Windshield Projector
After the basic setup, you would need to tinker with the transparency settings on the projector to get it just right, possibly even digging into the software itself to customize the display output further. This setup probably wouldn't look exactly the same as the examples, and wouldn't include visuals of the tires as it's simply projecting the image onto the dashboard, but it's the same concept. To be perfect, you would also want a much wider reflector lens that spans the entire width of the windshield, and that means more tweaking of the display output. The project would require a ton of customization but the point is, it's not impossible to do on your own, so don't feel like you have to buy a Land Rover to get this type of technology. I'm sure we will see it on every make and model in the next few years.
Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/land-rover-invented-a-disappearing-hood-2014-4
https://www.landrover.com/us/en/lr/
http://www.hyperstealth.com/Quantum-Stealth/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nj0vCSBFT8
http://www.occupycorporatism.com/home/scientists-perfect-nano-tech-develop-invisibility-cloak/
