These Materials Could Make Science Fiction a Reality

Metamaterials, which could improve smartphones and change how we use other technology, allow scientists to control light waves in new ways.

By John Markoff, April 27, 2021

Imagine operating a computer by moving your hands in the air as Tony Stark does in “Iron Man.”

Or using a smartphone to magnify an object as does the device that Harrison Ford’s character uses in “Blade Runner.”

Or a next-generation video meeting where augmented reality glasses make it possible to view 3D avatars. Or a generation of autonomous vehicles capable of driving safely in city traffic.

These advances and a host of others on the horizon could happen because of metamaterials, making it possible to control beams of light with the same ease that computer chips control electricity.

Source: These Materials Could Make Science Fiction a Reality