New spinning drone hides in plain sight: ‘Phantom Twist’ harnesses motion blur to nearly vanish in flight

New spinning drone hides in plain sight: ‘Phantom Twist’ harnesses motion blur to nearly vanish in flight

By exploiting the quirks of human vision, Northwestern University engineers have designed a drone that nearly disappears before the eyes. For years, researchers have tried to design invisible drones and robots using camouflage, transparent materials or light-bending optical systems. But the Northwestern team instead used a concept called “motion blur”—the same effect that makes fast-spinning fans and propellers seem to disappear.