Illustrating the concept, i.e. active capture and re-display, creates an "illusory transparency", also known as "computer mediated reality"

Active camouflage or adaptive camouflage, is a group of camouflage technologies which allow an object to blend into its surroundings by use of panels or coatings capable of altering their appearance, color, luminance and reflective properties. Active camouflage has the potential to achieve perfect concealment from visual detection. Download high resolution version (945x1440, 97 KB)Mediated Reality as illusory transparency This is a picture I took at the base of Niagara Falls, which itself is perhaps the worlds most photographed subject. ... Download high resolution version (945x1440, 97 KB)Mediated Reality as illusory transparency This is a picture I took at the base of Niagara Falls, which itself is perhaps the worlds most photographed subject. ... Anolis caroliensis showing blending camouflage and counter-shading A flounder blends in with its environment. ...

Active camouflage differs from conventional means of concealment in two important ways. First, it makes the object appear not merely similar to its surroundings, but invisible through the use of perfect mimicry. Second, active camouflage changes the appearance of the object in real time. Ideally, active camouflage mimics nearby objects as well as objects as distant as the horizon. The effect should be similar to looking through a pane of glass, making the camouflaged object practically invisible.

Active camouflage has its origins in the diffused lighting camouflage first tested on Canadian Navy corvettes during World War II, and later in the armed forces of the United Kingdom and the United States of America. For the automobile, see Chevrolet Corvette. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian...

Current systems began with a United States Air Force program which placed low-intensity blue lights on aircraft. As night skies are not pitch black, a 100 percent black-colored aircraft might be rendered visible. By emitting a small amount of blue light, the aircraft blends more effectively into the night sky. Aircraft of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and coalition counterparts stationed together at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in southwest Asia, fly over the desert. ...

Active camouflage is rumored to have taken a new turn with the development of the Boeing Bird of Prey, which apparently took the technology further. The Bird of Prey was a black project and details about it are sketchy. Bird of Prey in flight (photo) The Bird of Prey was a black project aircraft, intended to demonstrate stealth technology, developed by what is now a part of Boeing. ... In the United States a black project is a top-secret military/defense project, unacknowledged by the government, military personnel, and defense contractors. ...

Active camouflage is poised to develop at a rapid pace with the development of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and other technologies which allow for images to be projected onto irregularly-shaped surfaces. With the addition of a camera, an object may not be made completely invisible, but may in theory mimic enough of its surrounding background to avoid detection by the human eye as well as optical sensors. As motion may still be noticeable, an object might not be rendered undetectable under this circumstance but potentially more difficult to hit. This has been demonstrated with videos of "wearable" displays where the camera could see "through" the wearer. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... An example of how an object could appear to be invisible through the use of mirrors Invisibility is the state of an object which cannot be seen. ... The human eye. ...

Active camouflage or "scramble suit"

Wearable and not very convincing version of illusory transparency made from a tiling of flat panel displays supplied with images from cameras, and a computer processing system. This functioning prototype is limited by the number of sensors and transducers.

The active camouflage suit by name is credited to science fiction author Philip K. Dick in his 1974 novel A Scanner Darkly. Worn by the narcotics double agent Bob Arctor/Fred, the "scramble suit" is described as a flexible sheath covering the body of the wearer with a reflective/refractive coating on the inside surface that transfers the camouflaging pattern—projected by a holographic lens mounted on the wearer's head—onto the outside surface of the sheath. Download high resolution version (1080x1440, 95 KB)Sousveillance made necessary by invisbility suit This picture illustrates, by way of satire, the manner in which surveillance cameras make necessary an invisibility suit based on wearable cameras and displays. ... Download high resolution version (1080x1440, 95 KB)Sousveillance made necessary by invisbility suit This picture illustrates, by way of satire, the manner in which surveillance cameras make necessary an invisibility suit based on wearable cameras and displays. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... See: transparency (optics) alpha compositing GIF#Transparency transparency (overhead projector) market transparency transparency (telecommunication) transparency (computing) For X11 pseudo-transparency, see pseudo-transparency. ... Flat panel displays encompass a growing number of technologies enabling video displays that are lighter and much thinner than traditional television and video displays using cathode ray tubes, usually less than 10 cm (4 inches) thick. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American science fiction writer. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... A Scanner Darkly is a 1977 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. ... The term narcotic, derived from the Greek word for stupor, originally referred to a variety of substances that induced sleep (such state is narcosis). ... A double agent pretends to spy on a target organization on behalf of a controlling organization, but in fact is loyal to the target organization. ... A coating is a covering that is applied to an object to protect it or change its appearance. ... This article is about the photographic technique. ... Look up lens in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Dick's invention has been copied many times in novels, films and video games to become a standard device in science fiction. Examples appear in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Predator, the James Bond film Die Another Day, the Metal Gear Solid video game series, the Halo video game series, and the Japanese anime and manga Ghost in the Shell—cited as the inspiration for Tokyo University experiments into optical camouflage. A similar cloaking device is found in Star Trek, however this example does not achieve active camouflage in the same way. An invention an object, patent, process, or technique which displays an element of novelty. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born on July 30, 1947, in Graz, Austria) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor and Republican politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ... Predator is a 1987 science fiction movie that was directed by John McTiernan and released on Friday, June 12. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent[1] created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... Die Another Day is the twentieth James Bond film made by EON Productions and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as Ian Flemings James Bond. ... Metal Gear Solid ) (commonly abbreviated to MGS) is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... Master Chief emerges from smoke and rubble that litters an African plain in Halo 3. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... Motoko Kusanagi from the manga Ghost in the Shell. ... The Yasuda Auditorium on the University of Tokyos Hongo Campus. ... A Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country fires while using a cloaking device but is eventually destroyed by the USS Enterprise. ... This article is about the Star Trek franchise. ...

It is notable that in "Ghost in the Shell", the thermoptic camouflage offers concealment in both the optical and infra-red electromagnetic frequencies. Motoko Kusanagi from the manga Ghost in the Shell. ...

Also in the book series Artemis Fowl the L.E.P (Lower Elements Police) have technology similar to this in the form of "camfoil". While invisible to human eye, it does not work with cameras and can be shorted out by a shower. (first in series) | Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident >> Artemis Fowl is the first book in the Artemis Fowl series. ...

In other animals

Active camouflage is not a human invention. The most convincing example of active camouflage in animals is the octopus, which can blend into its surroundings by changing skin color as well as skin shape and texture. It is a common misconception that the chameleon can change its color to blend with its surroundings. Rather, the color changes occur based on body temperature and the chameleon's mood. The ability is also used to communicate with other chameleons. Families 11 in two suborders, see text. ... For other uses, see Chameleon (disambiguation). ...

A fictional example of active camouflage in animals is the Gila-Munga, a race of extraterrestrial assassins appearing in Judge Dredd, a story serialized in the weekly British comic book anthology 2000 AD. For the 1996 film, see Judge Dredd (film). ... ANThology is the first major label album by Alien Ant Farm. ... Cover of the first issue of 2000 AD, 26 February 1977. ...

Optical Camouflage

Optical camouflage is a kind of active camouflage which completely envelopes the wearer. It displays an image of the scene on the side opposite the viewer on it, so that the viewer can "see through" the wearer, rendering the wearer invisible. The idea appears in many fictional works, such as the William Gibson novel Neuromancer, where it is referred to as a "mimetic polycarbon suit," and the 1979 novel "Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe" by George Takei and Robert Asprin. Also referred to as "thermoptic camouflage" or simply "thermoptics," this technology was popularized by the sci-fi manga (and later anime) Ghost in the Shell. It has also been featured in the 2000 game Deus Ex, the 2002 James Bond movie Die Another Day, as well as a similar technology appearing in the Metal Gear Solid video game series, the Halo video game series, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, the video game Phantom Crash and as an unlock for the "scout" class in a Half Life 2 mod, "Empires". An optical camouflage device appears in the PC game Battlefield 2142 as an unlockable item. William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948, Conway, South Carolina) is an American-born science fiction author resident in Canada since 1968. ... Neuromancer by William Gibson is the most famous early cyberpunk novel and won the so-called science-fiction triple crown (the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award, and the Hugo Award) after being published in 1984. ... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Motoko Kusanagi from the manga Ghost in the Shell. ... Deus Ex (commonly abbreviated DX) is a first-person shooter/computer role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent[1] created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... Die Another Day is the twentieth James Bond film made by EON Productions and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as Ian Flemings James Bond. ... Metal Gear Solid ) (commonly abbreviated to MGS) is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... Master Chief emerges from smoke and rubble that litters an African plain in Halo 3. ... Phantom Crash is a high-speed Mech combat simulator released by Genki in 2002 for the Microsoft Xbox console. ... Battlefield 2142 (abbreviated BF2142) is a first-person shooter computer game using a modified engine of Battlefield 2 set in the 22nd century, during a new ice age. ...

Outside of fiction, the concept exists only in theory and in proof-of-concept prototypes, although many experts consider it technically feasible. In 2003, three professors at University of Tokyo — Susumu Tachi, Masahiko Inami and Naoki Kawakami — created a prototypical camouflage system in which a video camera takes a shot of the background and displays it on the cloth using an external projector. The same year Time magazine named it the coolest invention of 2003. [1] With flexible electronics such as a flexible liquid crystal display that would permit display of the background image by the material itself, this form of optical camouflage may closely resemble its fictional counterparts. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Tokyo ), abbreviated as Todai ), is one of the leading research universities in Japan. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... Olympus Stylus camera with skins removed, showing flex circuit assembly. ... Reflective twisted nematic liquid crystal display. ...

See also

• Cloaking device
• Stealth technology
• Predator (alien)

A Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country fires while using a cloaking device but is eventually destroyed by the USS Enterprise. ... F-117 Stealth Fighter Stealth technology covers a range of techniques used with aircraft, ships and missiles, in order to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared and other detection methods. ...

References

• Burr, E. Godfrey. "Illumination for Concealment of Ships at Night." Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada (Third series, volume XLI, May 1947, p. 45-54).
• No Day Long Enough: Canadian Science in World War II. Editor: George R. Lindsey. (Toronto: Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, 1997), p. 172-173.
• Summary Technical Report of Division 16, NDRC. Volume 2: Visibility Studies and Some Applications in the Field of Camouflage. (Washington, D.C.: Office of Scientific Research and Development, National Defense Research Committee, 1946), p. 14-16 and 225-241. [Declassified August 2, 1960].
• Waddington, C.H. O.R. in World War 2: Operational Research Against the U-Boat. (London: Elek Science, 1973), p. 164-167.

External links

• "Multi-perspective background simulation cloaking process and apparatus", United States Patent & Trademark Office
• "Now you see it, now you won't: Boeing lifts the veil on stealthy Bird of Prey", Jane's International Defence Review article mentioning Bird of Prey's daylight stealth capability
• "Scientist show off 'invisible coat'", The Sydney Morning Herald, March 30, 2003
• "Japanese scientist invents 'invisibility cloak'" (with photo), Ananova
• Optical Camouflage