Tuesday 6 March 2012

Mercedes rolls out 'invisible' car

merc
Using optical camouflage, technology experts at Mercedez Benz have figured out how to make an entire car disappear
merc
The researchers created the illusion that their new zero emissions F-Cell Mercedes Benz is not even there at all, the Daily Mail reported
merc
Taking the principal that to see through something you need to see what's behind it, they covered the driver's side of the car in mats of LEDs, and mounted a digital SLR camera on the opposite side of the vehicle
merc
The camera shoots video on the passenger side of the car and the video is displayed in real time on the driver side of the automobile
merc
This ingenious approach, originally pioneered by scientists at the University of Tokyo, works on the same principles of the blue screen used by TV weather forecasters and Hollywood filmmakers
merc
The idea also mimics the iPad 2 Halloween costume that seems to display a gaping hole in the human body
merc
In Mercedes' promotional video, stupefied Muggles stare and fall about in shock as the team put the car through its paces along the highways of Hamburg and the bridges of Bavaria
merc
Meanwhile online, while some pessimistic YouTube users were wary, anticipating that invisible cars would no doubt lead to brutal crashes, others fantasised about bring able to park anywhere at all, without getting a ticket
merc
There is no caption with this photo, we believe this photo tells story by itself
merc
There is no caption with this photo, we believe this photo tells story by itself