Mathematicians from the University of Manchester are working on theinvisibility cloak theory to develop roofs that protect buildingsand the structures of vibrations and natural disasters such asearthquakes. As advertised by William Parnell and his colleagues in the magazineProceedings of the Royal Society A, camouflage certain components of structureswith pressure rubberit would allow large seismic waves not to “see” the building and “pass by”, so that it would not suffer any damage.
This “invisibility” could be of great importance to protect key structures such as nuclear power plants, electrical towers and government buildings from destruction by natural disasters and even terrorist attacks, as it would provide invisibility to waves of light, sound or vibration.
Research on invisibility cloaks and the possibility of hiding objects or people from light waves began about six years ago, but until now very little work has been done with other types of waves, such as those produced by earthquakes.
“This research has shown that actuallywe have the potential to control the direction and speed of elastic waves. This is important because we want to direct these waves in many contexts, especially in nano-applications for electronics, for example ,? explains Professor Parnell. “If the theory can be applied to larger objects, then it could be used to create layers to protect buildings and structures, or perhaps, more realistically, to specifically protect very important parts of those structures.”
