How Yautja’s Cloaking Device Actually Works – Invisibly Explained

The Predator’s Yautja, is one of cinema’s most iconic movie monsters. With numerous movie appearances, the Predator has used a variety of powerful weapons and tech to aid in his hunt, but one has remained more recognizable than any other: invisibility. The Predator’s coat is his greatest asset in the hunt and a major part of his tactics in all his movies.

Its ability to hide in plain sight is naturally a massive part of what makes it such a force to be reckoned with. Even the most well-trained soldiers struggled to fight him. This aspect of the monster lends itself well to the suspension tone of The Predator Movies. As for how his signature ability works, the franchise has offered explanations in the past.

Predator 2 explains how the invisibility of the predators works

Yutja Technology

in Predator 2 A small explanation of the cloaking device is provided. The integral piece of Yautja technology bends light around the individual wearing it, making it practically invisible to the naked eye. As we see in the films, however, the effect is not perfect. The imagery of the predator’s transparent silhouette is one that makes an appearance when it graces the screen.

This imperfect invisibility is not his only flaw. While incredibly useful on dry land, it seems to malfunction in contact with water. in PredatorThe Yautja emerges from a river looking for Dutch, as its coat fails and the first full look at the creature is revealed. Although in preyThe technology did not seem to have the same vulnerability despite being taken 100 years earlier. Additionally, the cloaking device does not seem effective on all their prey. in Alien vs. PredatorThe xenomorphs can see the predators regardless, as shown when an alien impales an invisible predator with its tail, rendering the tech useless in an alien hunt.

Is Predator’s Camouflage Actually Possible? Science explained

The coat can hold light

This statement certainly sounds like it makes sense, and it did used to explain more than the various blankets. Fantastic practice Media has often used this in reference to the abilities of the invisible woman. Scientists around the world have investigated the possibilities of invisibility, and one such team at Berkeley Lab has had some success. By using the characteristics of metamaterials on microscopic objects, the coat can keep light from reflecting off of them. The Berkeley team was able to make the coat in a very small size; It is only 80 nanometers thick. But despite its reduced weight, it could theoretically be scaled to hide much larger objects.

however, Predator 2S Explanation doesn’t exactly work. If a physical mass exists in a space and light is bent around it, then the absence of that space would be evident; No light would be there and you’d presumably only see some sort of black void. Other fictional explanations have stated that light can pass through someone, which makes more sense in creating a seamless invisibility, as is the case with the creature in The Predator. However, this would also make the invisible individual blind, as light passing through them would mean it would not make contact with their eyes.