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So the project for IDEaS
that we had was to create

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some electromagnetic surfaces
for camouflaging,

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for creating illusions,

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to fake electromagnetic
signatures, to hide objects

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which are of strategic
importance,

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and that range
from microwaves to optics.

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These are surfaces
that we engineer

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to change the optical properties
of the surfaces.

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We seek to do this in real time.

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We seek to redirect light,

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we seek to change
the appearance of surfaces.

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And we seek to do this

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by mimicking the environment

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around which the metasurface
will be located.

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The end goal was to create
a new technology,

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in which we can hide objects

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in different parts
of the spectrum.

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♪

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The inspiration came
from a video of an octopus

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that my colleague
Professor Gupta showed me.

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The octopus has the ability
to change its appearance

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in real time depending
on the environment

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in which it finds itself,

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so as to conceal itself
from the surroundings.

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That's an advanced system
that's working.

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An octopus can hide themselves,
you know, like,

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in a complex background.
So we can do something similar.

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So, as far as possible, we try
to approximate the solutions

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that nature has already provided

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to the problem of concealment
and camouflage.

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So we're making surfaces

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which can adaptively hide
their appearance.

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They can take objects,
and they can, in real time,

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blend them into
the background, if we wish.

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So, we are sort of like
protecting important objects,

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people, tanks, assets;
even go one step further,

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where we can even say, like,
"Here's a fake illusion.

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It's not that object that you
think; it's something else."

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It makes a perfect case

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for a military-type
operation, if you wish.

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So, working on a research
project with a defence focus

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is very much motivating,

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in terms of developing
these metasurface devices.

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It's important to develop
these devices

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with military applications
in mind,

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because it's more fulfilling
to develop devices

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which can assist
and help improve

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the safety of soldiers

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with the Canadian Armed
Forces and our allies.

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We use optical nanostructures,
we use optical antennas,

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we use optical scatterers.

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These are small resonant objects

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for which the absorption

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and reflection properties
can be tuned,

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depending on their size,
depending on their material,

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the architecture

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with which these nanostructures
are placed.

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And by changing
the electromagnetic environment

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around these nanostructures,

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we can make them react
to different stimuli,

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depending on the environment

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in which the metasurfaces
find themselves.

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And that was the original,

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like, motivation to apply it
for some defence problems,

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to create scenarios in which
any kind of, like, detection

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of an object becomes difficult.

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So, from radars to optics,
from visible light to infrared.

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Some of these important objects
could be sort of, like, hidden

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from electromagnetic,
you know, interrogation.

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And needless to say,
I mean, financially,

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it was a good program
to work with as well.

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So, we had all kinds of freedom
to work on a focused problem,

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and I think it's an ideal
scenario for a research team.

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♪