Harry Potter "Invisibility Cloak" Invented by Swedish Scientists

A new perceptual illusion of having an invisible body among humans has been created by Swedish researchers.

In a paper released today, neuroscientists from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet have used virtual reality to find out how people feel when they think their body is invisible.

"This experience affects bodily self-perception and social cognition," the authors wrote.

A person was primed to think they're invisible by wearing a virtual reality headset, looking down, and not seeing a body. Then, they would see a paintbrush touching them where their body would be if visible - while, at the same time, a researcher touches their actual body with a paintbrush.

Scientists allowed the participants to kindle the sensation of having an invisible body by touching their body parts in various strokes and locations using a large paintbrush. Another brush was held in the other hand that mimics the movements created by the first paintbrush in mid-air for a better view.

The team performed another succeeding experiment to test the effect of invisibility on a person's social anxiety. This was performed in front of an audience that is in no-way related to the participants. And they found, "that their heart rate and self-reported stress level during the 'performance' was lower when they experienced the invisible body illusion."

Using the same technique, the scientists placed these people in front of strangers to examine their behavior. While believing they were invisible, the subjects experienced a much lower heart rate and stress level than in their physical form, suggesting that the method might actually work.