3D-Printed Metamaterials Can Bend Sound Waves To Improve Medical Diagnostics And Cancer Treatment, Sussex University Reveals

Metamaterials, a class of finely engineered surfaces that perform tasks not found in nature, entered the popular lexicon a few years back when researchers used the materials’ light-manipulation properties to create a device that replicates Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. New research from a team of scientists at the Universities of Sussex and Bristol in the United Kingdom shows that metamaterials also have the capability to manipulate sound. The discovery has the potential to transform medical imaging and personal audio, according to a news release published on the Sussex University website.