Scientists make animals disappear with 'invisibility cloak'

Scientists have finally caught up with students at Hogwarts - revealing an “invisibility cloak” by making two animals appear to vanish into thin air.

In a video posted online by The Guardian, a goldfish suddenly appears in a tank of water and then, as if by magic, the lower half of a cat disappears as it steps on to a table.

The cloak, which is rudimentary and can only make objects vanish from certain angles, was developed by scientists at Nanyan Technological University in Singapore. It is made from thin panels of glass that make objects disappear by bending light around them.

The researchers say the cloaks, which are based on technology first developed by Sir John Pendry at Imperial College London in 2006, can easily be adjusted to make objects disappear from any line of sight. They added that the devices have important security, entertainment and surveillance applications.