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UIUC Unveils 3D Thermal Cloak Hiding Infrared Signatures

7/15/2026

Summary

Story summary

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) researchers unveiled a 3D thermal cloak that hides objects from infrared cameras.
The cloak uses a 3D-printed aluminum lattice filled with rubber-like material to steer heat around the object, erasing thermal signatures on a human-head model.
The work, co-developed with the Technical University of Denmark, was published in Nature Communications on July 14 2026 and describes researchers’ plan to create cloaks that sense and dissipate heat.

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Story summary

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) researchers unveiled a 3D thermal cloak that hides objects from infrared cameras.
The cloak uses a 3D-printed aluminum lattice filled with rubber-like material to steer heat around the object, erasing thermal signatures on a human-head model.
The work, co-developed with the Technical University of Denmark, was published in Nature Communications on July 14 2026 and describes researchers’ plan to create cloaks that sense and dissipate heat.