British cloaking tool makes tanks disappear

It may sound like a fictitious gimmick best suited to the James Bonds of this world, but a patented system – called Adaptiv – can render vehicles invisible in the infrared spectrum. Developed by British defence company BAE Systems, the technology uses a matrix of hexagonal pixels with temperature-altering properties. Cameras help to monitor the […]

It may sound like a fictitious gimmick best suited to the James Bonds of this world, but a patented system – called Adaptiv – can render vehicles invisible in the infrared spectrum.

Developed by British defence company BAE Systems, the technology uses a matrix of hexagonal pixels with temperature-altering properties. Cameras help to monitor the surroundings and background and then apply the display accurate to that particular scenery on the vehicle. The benefit of the cloaking device can be used for vehicles standing still, but also extends to those on the move. The first vehicle to be made invisible was a Swedish CV90 tank.

Designed to hide tanks from heat-seeking missiles, drones and goggles, engineers at BAE Systems have also conceived a method to provide camouflage in parts of the electromagnetic spectrum other than the infrared mode.

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