The video, originally sourced from al-Qaeda Iraq 2010, attempts to capture the destruction of an M1 Abrams tank. While the tank took a direct hit they didn’t achieve their goal, but they did capture something even more spectacular, and very strange.
Presented for your viewing pleasure is the Invisible Soldier. Multiple videos have been provided each using different filters and techniques to highlight the seemingly invisible soldier.
The scene: a dusty road in Iraq, rubble and dry weeds cover the roadside. Along the road an M1 Abrams tank makes its way carefully along the road. Always mindful that anything can happen, which it does. The explosion from the IED (Improvised Exploding Device) lifts the front of the tank into the air; it rolls to a stop just out of the cameras view. A second M1 charges down the dirt road, stopping mid frame to secure the scene and check on the damaged tanks crew.
At this point the invisible soldier appears, or rather enters the scene without appearing. Running across the frame he seems to magically materialize as he clambers up on the main tank. Under magnification in subsequent replays his Predator cloak like outline can be seen running straight through the middle of the chaotic scene.
Officially, science is still working on achieving invisibility. There are published experiments and many promising technologies, most notably meta-materials, but the best estimates put viable invisibility at 10 to 20 years away. Is it possible the US Army is 20 years ahead of the rest of the world; it wouldn’t be the first time!
So far the official explanation contributes the effect to a combination of the low quality video camera that is over compressing the video and the sand coloured camouflage uniform used by Special Forces. The second video questions both of these factors. The video is capable of capturing fine details in the distance while the invisible soldier’s blurry outline is seen passing in front of many different coloured objects and he maintains transparency.
The video suggests that the technology may be far more advanced than previously suspected. Watch the videos and you decide; real invisible soldier or crappy quality video camera? Here at Highpants all we know is invisibility works much better when people don’t believe it’s real.
