Yes. Unfortunately many people are reading this thinking it's a FLIR invisibility cloak.
replyFYI Ukraine already has FLIR invisibility cloaks (fancy camo space blankets): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfdF3iIwoX4
This is thermal cloak, explained here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2RJi4mRZ0&t=52s
Notably it only works after the heat flow settles back down to equilibrium. If you're moving, it doesn't work.
There are loads of videos of Ukrainian FPV drones with thermal cameras hunting Russians trying to hide using something like space blankets. The blankets work up to a point, if the target were completely covered they would be hard to spot, but if parts of the soldier are not covered or are revealed during movement, it doesn't work out well for the target.
replyThe videos remind me of the scene in Dune where Paul is hiding from the hunter-seeker that tracks based on movement.
Which seems like it would be good for fixed installations that need to remain undetected, no?
replyMore likely craft looking to reduce heat seeking missles or detection. Think better heat diffusion on helicopter or tank exhaust. Fixed installations would use thermal nets or space blankets.
replyThe other caveat is that it only works if you're embedded inside a solid object. ;)
replyIf you're in free space, the surface can't shine its IR differently in different directions, so under FLIR it will just look like the average ambient temperature. This is no better than existing (cheap and light) space blanket camo systems.
So a "heatpump cooling", store concentrated heat and inject it into the ground would work much better?
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