Besides bending waves around a structure, the CD-sized metamaterial can also focus sound waves into a sub-millimeter-sized area, an area smaller than traditional ultrasound machines can currently see. Known as a super lens, it could enable doctors to see babies in utero in much higher definition or detect tumors that are currently too small for ultrasonic detection. "We have seen some very exciting demonstrations," said Fang. "But to make this as a practical structure we need another three to five years." Other researchers are excited by the development. "This is one of the very first metamaterials that has been designed to work and actually do something useful for sound waves instead of electromagnetic waves," said Steven Cummer, a professor at Duke University who helped develop the original invisibility cloak in 2005. "I would say that the Illinois design for two-dimensional acoustic metamaterials is pretty straightforward to manufacture. I certainly hope that it can be transitioned to an actual application," said Cummer. Related Links: |
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