The wide world of fiction is full of examples of people gaining invisibility. There’s Harry Potter’s cloak, the invisible man’s secret formula, and Star Trek’s ship cloaking technology. Imagine the world’s reaction a few weeks back when eco-fashion designers Rapanui announced a new breakthrough in textiles technology which allowed for the development of fabric that would appear invisible.
Developed by scientists at the University of the Isle of Wight, this new fabric shows promise not just for clothing, but in other applications, such as the ability to mask off unattractive parts of the landscape, such as landfills.
In reality, the applications of this kind of technology will be limitless, and ideas for its practical use haven’t even begun to have been explored. University scientists advise patience on the part of the public, as they say it could be a while before the technology actually comes to market… a very long while.
Unfortunately, this development is just another addition to the rich tapestry of fiction out there. As you might have guessed by now, Rapanui was just pulling an April Fool’s prank on everyone. An angry public certainly wasn’t happy to hear that the respected university played such a big part in the joke, but don’t worry too much about it. The university wasn’t real, either. Rapanui, we assume, still is real.