No, it’s not the kind of invisibility claims you have seen in recent times. The train won’t go completely invisible although we would have loved that. It is a new experiment being undertaken in Japan where trains are really fast and look like an oddity in the landscape. What Kazuyo Sejima, the lead designer behind this project aims to do is to reduce the visual imprint of the train and make it reflect most of its light around so the train doesn’t strike out while moving at such high speeds. The train is being specially made for the 100th anniversary of the Seibu Group, the country’s oldest train operator dating back to 1916. Seibu has commissioned this project to make this huge milestone memorable for them.
According to Quartz, each train will be covered with an assortment of reflective surfaces like polished mirrors that will make it tough to spot with the naked eye. While it may not work round the clock, it will still be good for many surroundings. It is interesting that this illusionary concept of invisibility will still take a couple of years to achieve as the trains are slated to be rolled out by 2018. They will attempt to try and blend the train into the natural landscape and reduce the artificial footprint in the countryside. Yes, Japan HAS a sizable country side and probably they don’t like to mess with it.
So, how will this kind of invisibility fare? Type away in the comment section!