Startup Invisibility Shield began selling “invisibility shields”

Invisibility Shield 2.0 is offered in several sizes: Mini, Full and Megashield. The most expensive full-length version costs about $380.

The curved shape of the shields is made from clear, high quality polycarbonate, held in place by a clear polycarbonate frame at the back. An array of thin flat-convex cylindrical lenses on a substrate is inserted into it.

The device weighs from 3.6 kg in the mini version and up to 16 kg in the full-size version. It is easy to assemble and disassemble.

When the user stands or crouches behind the device, the lenses diffuse ambient light reflected from their body across the entire front surface of the Shield. They also diffuse light reflected from the background. The result is an optical illusion so that when looking at the shield from the front, it blends perfectly into the background.

The shield works best if the user is wearing light-colored clothing and if the background is fairly uniform. In this case, the illusion persists at any distance from the viewer.

The Invisibility Shield has already been used in Korean dating shows, stage magic tricks, and even wildlife spotting. However, users themselves cannot clearly see their surroundings through the Invisibility Shield – they have to look out from behind it.