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Stealth Paint From German Inventor Werner Nickel

Posted by timothy on from the peek-a-boo-you-can't-see-me dept.

Gerhardius writes "Werner Nickel sounds like a Disney-style wacky inventor. He moved to the UAE to develop his previous invention: he had bred a worm whose excrement made it possible to grow radishes in the dry desert sand. That project failed so he moved on to the next item on his agenda, naturally a radar absorbing paint. While it certainly is not unique, there is some interesting history behind the development, and a proposed civilian use."

9 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. Uses by camperslo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All that stressful military/terrorist stuff aside, that paint might just be good for silencing cell phones in movie theatres. It's generally illegal to jam any sort of licensed transmission, but creating an environment that weakens the signal is a good workaround.

    Perhaps adding a layer of the paint to some consumer products, like PCs, might be a viable way of reducing the R.F. noise (and security issues that go with it?) leaking out.

    1. Re:Uses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      it's cheaper not to, and people can't sue you for missing a phone call that was a life or death situation (eg: a doctor who was on call trying to catch the latest film, getting called in for a medical emergency)

      The on-call asshole can catch the movie when he's not on-call. It's common fucking decency. A supposedly intelligent doctor should have the common sense to realize what he's giving up when he accepts being on-call, or the money to buy a phone with vibrate. His job doesn't give him the right to bother people who are out trying to enjoy themselves.

    2. Re:Uses by v1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Regardless of who you are, it is not my responsibility to make sure you are available in case of an emergency. If you need to be available, it is your responsibility to adjust your behavior to increase the odds that you are available, given the provided situations you find yourself in. I don't care if you're a doctor with a patient in the ICU, a parent with a sitter at home, or anyone else for that matter.

      A doctor will also be without cell phone service when taking a tour of the Great Mounds Cave. That doesn't mean we should put up cell towers in there. What it means he should not be there while on call. Same goes for a theatre or any other venue where cell reception is naturally or artificially unavailable. Although any venue where a reasonable person would expect cell service but cannot get it, should have reasonable notice. In this case a note on the ticket or at the door to the theatre.

      I'm so tired of people trying to make me responsible for their bad decisions. That's what your parents are for. While you're under 18. After that, take ownership of yourself.

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    3. Re:Uses by swillden · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Regardless of who you are, it is not my responsibility to make sure you are available in case of an emergency. If you need to be available, it is your responsibility to adjust your behavior to increase the odds that you are available, given the provided situations you find yourself in.

      But it is your responsibility to disable the phones of rude and obnoxious people?

      If you want to take that on yourself, why not take a more direct route -- next time someone starts gabbing on the phone go take it away from them and toss it in the parking lot.

      I always leave my cellphone on in the movie theater, so my kids can call if they need me. It's on vibrate, in an inside pocket where the light won't bother anyone, and I don't answer it. If it rings, I leave the theater (I always sit near the aisle so if I need to I can leave with minimal disturbance) and call back. It's a highly useful tool for me, and doesn't disturb anyone else.

      In any case, theaters aren't going to install crap like this. It will bother too many of their patrons. For every childless, carefree person like you there are five who find it useful to keep their phones on during the movie, and any theater that makes their phones inoperable will see attendance decline dramatically.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  2. Re:Let me guess .. by Dr.+Cody · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I guess they'll have to drill for oil very quietly now.

  3. Re:Energy = heat by TransEurope · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actally the energy of radar is very low, except you stand directly in front of the emitter. Or when was the last time you got cooked by the radar from the airport next to you? You must have really good sensors to detect such low heat. I assume the heat of computers and electronics on board of a plane or the exhausts of the turbines are the much bigger problem for the one doesn't want to be 'seen'.

  4. Re:Civilian use? by chanrobi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    He said they were *used* by them, not *on* them. Time to level your reading skills.

  5. Or maybe the author is On LSD by goombah99 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This radar absorbing paint sounds like horseshit to me. This guy must be on LSD.

    When light hits a surface, it can be reflected, or transmitted. If' it's transmitted then it's going to go through the paint and strike the metal and be reflected.

    The only way around this for a linear system is if all the following conditions are met
    1) the paint absorbs
    2) the paint has an index match to air that is perfect.
    3) the absorption depth is on the scale of or larger than the wavelength.

    If a material is strongly absorbing, ironically, it also becomes a better reflector due to the impedance mismatch. (air is not strongly absorbing). The only way to correct the impedance mismatch of the permativity is to also have a compensating change in the magnetic permiability. (For broadband absorbtion ferrites, for narrow band absorption maybe something else).

    I don't think some thin paint layer can meet any of these.

    It's conceivable non-linear materials could do the job but I don't thing there's enough energy in the radar pulse to activate such non-linearities.

    I think this is bullshit

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:Or maybe the author is On LSD by slashnot007 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      When light hits a surface, it can be reflected, or transmitted. If' it's transmitted then it's going to go through the paint and strike the metal and be reflected. What are you talking about? Matt Black paint, applied to a mirror, does not result in a surface that reflects visible light. precisely my point. the black matte is many wavelengths thick in the visible. Radar has enormous wavelengths compared to the paint thickness. If black mat were 100th of a wavelenght thick then either 1) it would impedance match badly and therefore reflect 2) it would not be thick enough to absorb light.

      Paint can certainly absorb photons, and translate the energy to a wavelength no longer recognizable as related to the source. duh. this is known in physics as "absorption".

      How did the parent post get rated so highly? Has the Slashdot community fallen so far that it's blinded by the mere mention of "scientific" concepts like index of refraction? Maybe because I actually know what the hell I'm talking about?