… with Dr Inami’s magic suit
Text: Carol Akiyama Photo: Ken Straiton
Invisible suits are the stuff of superhero comics and fantasy novels, so it is no wonder that when Masahiko Inami came up with his optical camouflage suit, Time magazine named it the “Coolest Invention of the Year” in 2003. Optical camouflage uses a retro-reflective technology, a projection-based augmented-reality system that consists of a projector and retro-reflective screen. The person to be made transparent is covered with a cloak made from retro-reflective material. The projector is able to visually display the background behind the person covered by the retro-reflective material clearly, rendering the wearer transparent. Of course the person is never invisible; it only appears that way.
But optical camouflage is more than child’s play. “There are many exciting real-life applications of this concept,” says Inami. “We are currently working together with the auto industry to create cars where the interior, covered by retro-reflective material, can look transparent. This will then make parking in tight spots a cinch because drivers will have a monitor that shows drivers an unobstructed view.”
He also has hopes for revolutionary medical applications of this invention. “It would be a tremendous benefit for endoscopic surgery,” he explains, “if it is possible to make the human body transparent except for the skeletal structure or internal organs.”
For him, the real world of the five senses provides an endless array of research possibilities. For instance, he has developed a device called the SmartTool, a robotic arm that can measure the difference in electric resistance of physical surfaces.
By being able to gauge the exact divide between water and oil or between the yolk and the white
of a boiled egg, this technology may be able one day to cut out a cancerous tumour in places that
of a boiled egg, this technology may be able one day to cut out a cancerous tumour in places that
the human hand cannot. Indeed, Inami’s world is the interface between science fiction and reality.
