No Big Brother: China’s new invisibility cloak that could help evade cameras

It may sound like something from Harry Potter, but surprisingly is not. Just as the boy wizard had his invisibility cloak that protected him from the eyes of his enemies, students in China have invented an ‘invisible cloak’ that can hide the human body, day or night, from security cameras monitored by artificial intelligence.

Here’s what we know of the people behind the InvisDefense coat, how it works and how the Chinese could use it to register their dissent against the autocratic and authoritarian regime.

All about the InvisDefense coat

The InvisDefense Coat has been designed by graduate students of Wuhan University. Professor Wang Zheng of the school of computer science at Wuhan University oversaw the project. The work on the coat won first prize in a creative work contest on 27 November sponsored by Huawei Technologies Co as part of the China Postgraduate Innovation and Practice Competitions.

For those wondering how it works, Professor Zheng explained: “The InvisDefense Coat allows cameras to capture a person, but it cannot tell if you are human.”

So how exactly does it work?

Bearing a specially designed camouflage pattern on its surface, the InvisDefense can interfere in the recognition algorithm of machine vision. This, in turn, means the camera will not be able to identify the wearer as a person.

At night, cameras track human bodies through infrared thermal imaging. However, irregularly shaped temperature-controlling modules nestled on the inner surface of InvisDefense create an unusual temperature pattern that confuses the infrared camera.

Wei Hui, a PhD student on the team, who was responsible for the core algorithm, was quoted as telling South China Morning Post, “The most difficult part is the balance of the camouflage pattern. Traditionally, researchers used bright images to interfere with machine vision and it did work. But it stands out to human eyes, making the user even more conspicuous. We use algorithms to design the least conspicuous patterns that can disable computer vision.”

The students, who are the masterminds behind the invisibility cloak, claim that after extensive testing the coat provided 57 per cent.

As of date, the cloak will retail for around 500 yuan (Rs 5,900).

Uses of invisibility cloak

Now, the obvious question is how will the ‘invisible coat’ be used and by whom? Wei Hui said that his team’s ground-breaking invention might be an ideal fit as a defensive mechanism during a time of war.

“InvisDefense might also be used in anti-drone combat or human-machine confrontation on the battlefield,” said the PhD student.

However, with the low-cost of the coat, it could be used by the Chinese to circumvent its own surveillance system.

Also read: How China’s COVID-19 tracking app is a ‘digital handcuff’ used to crush dissent

It is a known fact that China has the world’s largest surveillance system — an estimated 540 million CCTV cameras have been deployed to watch over its citizens. These cameras watch them as they shop and dine, as they leave their home and return at night. Cameras are also used in offices to spy on workers; the use of cameras is so invasive that a company had installed surveillance apparatus inside toilet cubicles.

A Chinese company in Xiamen installed surveillance cameras inside toilet cubicles to monitor its staff. A viral image on Weibo showed photos it took as evidence and staff caught smoking were fired as punishment. pic.twitter.com/RD9xtSuGYj

— Rachel Cheung (@rachel_cheung1) September 14, 2022

In the pandemic, cameras also made their way on to people’s private property, in the guise of protecting people from the virus.

Facial-recognition software is used at every opportunity and as Time magazine states, “China is a harbinger of what society looks like when surveillance proliferates unchecked”.

Also read: Beating China at their own game: Indian Army is using Chinese cameras to spy on Chinese drones

In such times, when the State oversees every move its people make, an invisibility cloak will provide people, especially those who have expressed dissent or are unhappy with the administration, some amount of protection.

For many, China’s recent protests against its zero-COVID policy came as a surprise. It has long been believed that people of China refuse to express dissent, as they fear the repercussions of being identified and punished for their actions. However, if protesters opt for the invisibility cloak, they could continue holding the regime accountable without facing the dire repercussions such as arrests and solitary confinement.

With inputs from agencies

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