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[terrisus]

Nah man, it's a real life spoiler tag.

Depending on your view of the behavior of Hawking radiation and information conservation, whynotboth.jpg

 

[The Horror the horror]

How would the military benefit from this technology, exactly? Anything covered with this material would immediately stand out and contrast with the surrounding environment.

 

[Kinitari]

How would the military benefit from this technology, exactly? Anything covered with this material would immediately stand out and contrast with the surrounding environment.

The only thing I can think of is if I was covered in this stuff and was hiding in a forest at night your eyes would just roll off my blackness. I imagine the brain would just avoid it

 

[MisterHero]

Looney Tunes knew, man. They knew!

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

They might not reveal the price publicly, but I'm certain filthy rich people have inquired about obtaining some Vantablack.

 

[sixteen-bit]

wow, it doesn't even look real

 

[Ferrio]

They might not reveal the price publicly, but I'm certain filthy rich people have inquired about obtaining some Vantablack.

Uh I don't think the article states if it's even safe to be around. I assume it's probably very delicate... and aren't nanotubes kinda really bad to be around due to accidental inhalation?

 

[Coreda]

Today telescopes, tomorrow ninjas.

 

[ezrarh]

How would the military benefit from this technology, exactly? Anything covered with this material would immediately stand out and contrast with the surrounding environment.

Stealth vehicles/aircraft are stealth because they don't reflect any RF, IR, or visible light which prevents detection systems from knowing they're there. Doesn't have anything to do with a person not being able to see it with their own eyes.

 

[Metalmarc]

Just in time for Episode 8

The New Dark Lord of the sith can wear a costume of this


Also right now Heavy Metal Fans everywhere are Rejoicing

 

[Winterblink]

The only thing I can think of is if I was covered in this stuff and was hiding in a forest at night your eyes would just roll off my blackness. I imagine the brain would just avoid it

Since it's so unnaturally dark wouldn't you just look like a man-shaped black hole crouching in the forest?

 

[blue_phazon]

If you cover a car with this shit, you can make a Bat Mobile

 

[Arkos]

But we already have black, it's black.

 

[Winterblink]

If you cover a car with this shit, you can make a Bat Mobile

Well there's your use for it right there - stealthing prototype body designs by car manufacturers during their track tests.

 

[Kinitari]

Since it's so unnaturally dark wouldn't you just look like a man-shaped black hole crouching in the forest?

Probably not man shaped, all depth and contours would be lost. You would probably look like an especially dark blob on the ground, maybe a weird shadow. And potentially a hellgate.

 

[omegashockwave]

Sounds pretty cool. I would love to see to the structure of it. I'm really curious about how tightly the carbons are packed.

 

[PJV3]

I'd like a mask made out of it, it looks odd.

 

[Afro Thunder]

Once black you never go back

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Since it's so unnaturally dark wouldn't you just look like a man-shaped black hole crouching in the forest?

Yes.

Solid black camouflage (even without super pure black materials) is actually not as effective as colored patterns, as anything short of a cloudy moonless light with no artificial lights around will have some noticeable ambient light, at which point you'll just look like a large solid black splotch against a slightly less dark but detailed background. The eye would be drawn towards it, not ignore it.

 

[Always-honest]

That almost makes me sick in my stomach.
Wow.

 

[Ithil]

It's as black as priest's socks. See regular black socks are really just very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very dark blue.

Only priest's socks are this black. They may be made of the same material

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

Pretty incredible.

 

[everyday math]

Reminds me of this.

Edit: dammit MisterHero!

 

[User 406]

To everyone saying they'd like to see what it would look like if this material covered various objects, you can. Just get a picture that contains whatever you're interested, closely select the desired object's outline in your favorite image editor, and do a simple black bucket fill. If you're ambitious, do it to every frame of a video with the object in it.

This stuff does exactly that in the physical world. You get no depth cues, distance cues, contour cues, nothing. It just looks like someone just removed part of your visual field.

For the solar applications, maybe it could be useful in improving the efficiency of those molten sodium mirror farms?

 

[muteki]

Well, that's better than what would have happened if the tape came off with half his body still outside.

 

[Daedardus]

But, as this is a nearly perfect black body, does it not radiate other wavelengths than visible light? This thing should be a blinding spot of infrared light at normal temperatures.

 

[Paganmoon]

Not necessarily. Solar panels don't generate electricity through heat, the current is formed directly inside the material. You can of course generate electricity by using sunlight to for example boil water. Having a highly absorbing material would be good for that, but it's also a matter of cost efficency.

In a lot of places, Sweden included, most home solar panels do not generate any electricity, but instead are used as a water heater instead, so you don't have to use (much) electricity to heat water for showers etc. This would be perfect for such applications, when and if it goes into mass production and the price goes down.

 

[lefantome]

is it good for spaceships or pcs?

 

[Raistlin]

But, as this is a nearly perfect black body, does it not radiate other wavelengths than visible light? This thing should be a blinding spot of infrared light at normal temperatures.

Unless there is some other article not referenced in the OP, this wasn't advertised as a black body

A British company has produced a "strange, alien" material so black that it absorbs all but 0.035 per cent of visual light, setting a new world record.

No information was given regarding frequencies outside of visible light.

 

[Paganmoon]

is it good for spaceships or pcs?

not sure about spaceships, unless we're going to war with an alien species, and one of the biggest issues in designs of spacecraft as I've understood it, is the problem of removing heat from your craft, not keeping it in.

PC's sure, screw copper heatpipes, this would be damn good (when costs go down)

Unless there is some other article not referenced in the OP, this wasn't advertised as a black body



No information was given regarding frequencies outside of visible light.

The prior workgroup that did this, also with carbon nanotubes, (and had efficiency of 0.045 percent) did state that the absorption ranged from ultraviolet to the infrared. So it seems that it could be a black body material.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_properties_of_carbon_nanotubes#Carbon_nanotubes_as_a_black_body
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body#Near-black_materials

But yeah, nothing in the article specifically states black body, and I can't seem to find much else on this material or the company online yet, expecting more write-ups soon enough.

 

[Woorloog]

Yes.

Solid black camouflage (even without super pure black materials) is actually not as effective as colored patterns, as anything short of a cloudy moonless light with no artificial lights around will have some noticeable ambient light, at which point you'll just look like a large solid black splotch against a slightly less dark but detailed background. The eye would be drawn towards it, not ignore it.

I've understood that dark blue is actually better camouflage color at night, blending in better with ambient light.


I assume this material doesn't reflect non-visible EM frequencies though, specifically those used by radars, radio and microwaves. Surely it will have its uses but somehow i doubt it will be that useful for militaries.

 

[mckmas8808]

99.965% isn't 100%


.

Don't be this guy.

 

[AndyD]

So you are all arguing about military uses, but what would be the best prank uses? Covering a whole door in this? A toilet?

 

[Sibylus]

So you are all arguing about military uses, but what would be the best prank uses? Covering a whole door in this? A toilet?

Making one's yard look like a gateway to hell on Halloween.

 

[Mr. RHC]

Okay i need to sleep now.

Perfect.

 

[Scirrocco]

Well there's your use for it right there - stealthing prototype body designs by car manufacturers during their track tests.

How hot would that car be though? If its not reflecting its absorbing, and thats goin gto make h car an oven.

I've understood that dark blue is actually better camouflage color at night, blending in better with ambient light.


I assume this material doesn't reflect non-visible EM frequencies though, specifically those used by radars, radio and microwaves. Surely it will have its uses but somehow i doubt it will be that useful for militaries.

Pastels are supposed to be good too, but goo dluck getting a rugged army general to put his men in pastels.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

I've understood that dark blue is actually better camouflage color at night, blending in better with ambient light.


I assume this material doesn't reflect non-visible EM frequencies though, specifically those used by radars, radio and microwaves. Surely it will have its uses but somehow i doubt it will be that useful for militaries.

Stealth vehicles/aircraft are stealth because they don't reflect any RF, IR, or visible light which prevents detection systems from knowing they're there. Doesn't have anything to do with a person not being able to see it with their own eyes.

.