We’ve written about HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp’s Quantum Stealth program as have many in the media. And, we’ve seen the actual material in use. We’ve also respected Hyperstealth’s IP rights by not divulging details about the technology.
They’ve taken a lot of heat for providing mock up photos (that the press asked for) like the one above and have published a response to those criticisms as well as providing some history on the project. It’s definitely worth the read.
One thing I really like about the article is that they provide some photos of their SmartCamo product which is a very promising technology for variable color camouflage.
www.hyperstealth.com/Quantum-Stealth
Been waiting for confirmation on this technology. My hobby body of fiction has used tech like this as standard issue in the short stories for four years now.
Glad to finally see this semi-active camo finally be a reality.
But how will they control the color shifts? Ambient temperature? E-Textiles and electronically sensitive inks?
Starting to think some combination of directionally-oriented fabrics and polarized, reactive inks. Terrain reflects lights of a certain bandwidth onto the fabric, which picks it up. Surprise surprise, UCP actually does this under a too-finite range of conditions. One condition that defeats this–spectacularly–is flash photography (even when used as fill light).
Challenges to this process include orienting the fabric correctly, ensuring that this property stands up to cycles of contaminants and cleaning, maintaining FR and ensuring that it’s CBR-viable. You know, the simple stuff.
I’m not sure this would change how security operates at mission critical installations. Seismic sensors, pressure plates and ultrasonic imaging devices would all be able to detect somebody wearing this material. I can’t deny that it’d be beneficial (and awesome), but the idea of walking up on a critical enemy installation undetected still has a ways to go. Unless the military has some secret squirrel stuff that deals with that, in which case, carry on with your black ops as usual.
Lol, frankly if this goes to any other troops than special or covert ops, the lid would be blown off pretty quick in terms of how it works and foreign countries would get it. If it becomes general issue with an NSN number and all that, say goodbye to proprietary tech and hello to Chinese knock-offs.
Can the Army just tell some inventor to not show a video again or display and manufacture tech if it is more advanced than what they have or solves a problem they are having?
For a guy who own the whole moon… I’ll believe it when I see it..
Last time the excuse was if i show it off people will know how it works and steal it…
people demonstrate things still in development all the time… and manage not to give away the farm… you (SSD) obviously have seen it in action and your not manageing to steal his lifes work… how hard is it to make a 10 second video of it in action and put it on you tube……..
I am thinking of that video on YT that also hit some mainstream news video.
A tank in Iraq (?) sets off an IED and rolls to a stop. As the reaction force rolls in, from stage right a blur comes in that resolves into a man climbing up on the stricken tank. One discrepancy is: on the way in, he seems to have passed the bad guys high-tailing in the opposite direction…maybe they were dealt with off camera. So if this is tech is real, and this video is an example of it….hmmmm. Then again, with CGI, all things are possible.
I kind of agree with Mr. Bussaca, above.
Further, there are some things about Mr. Cramer’s missive that don’t seem right: letting the world know about the “need to know” meetings?; I suppose there is a mechanism to for the USG to classify his video…but he is Canadian, right?…so there would be a little red tape in coordinating that thru the Canadian government. Finally, the references to the US Military Command…what’s that? If he was already selling to DoD (or Canadian MoD) agencies, I’d think he would adopt to the familiar contractor-speak of “the customer”.
Finally, double-tapping what John (above) says…just evidence that the technology is possible and some very small hint of how it is possible would cause big brains around the globe to swarm on the problem and it would get out eventually, in one form or another. This research is being done in many places already, using many approaches.
Case example, BAE has several video’s of them hideing a tank thermally, in real time.. and then changeing the void of where the tank was… into what is clearly a mercades SUV… of course competely thermally.. visual spectrum you can see the tank.. but at night, looking thru thermal imagers.. a tank can diapear, and/or turn into what ever image they wish to display… they even (in the video) take out the teck from the side of the tank, array, to show it’s modularity.. If BAE… can RISK showing a 5 minute presentation, on youtube… of actuall military testing of thier product… i find it severly hard to believe hypertech can’t show us a teaser without spilling trade secrets.. or indangering some lone secret squirrel somewhere..
Another thought… do you think the U.S.A. is going to cancel what ever contract he may/may not have, for the tech of the century, the holy grail of camofage (i.e turning a soldger invisable) over a little grand standing… and risk it going somewhere else??? i don’t think so.
P.P.S. I will giver Mr. Cramer props where props are due… the color change idea… is brilliant.. if it can be user selected.. a pre programed uniform with patterns or color schemes that may be in my area… sweet idea.. even if it’s a color change…
Imagine first formations… Sergeant major’s all over the world would start loseing thier cool, and veins popping outta thier heads…… “PICK A COLOR!!!!”