Inverse-designed multi-directional remote cloak

Invisibility as a superior self-protection tactic has long captivated the popular interest in both academia and industry. However, state-of-the-art invisibility cloaks typically need to completely wrap or shield a hidden object, leading to a hidden object that cannot interact with the environment outside. This study develops a precise and efficient de-homogenization optimized-architecture to produce high-performance, simple-parameter, and fabricable remote cloak without constraints on geometry. As proof of concept, we demonstrate that an open cloak composed by four separate parts of metamaterial can remotely hide arbitrarily shaped object located at a certain distance for four mutually orthogonal directions of incident waves. Additionally, we extend this concept to a remote illusive device with the capability of transforming any arbitrary object into another one. Our work provides the available strategies of remote devices closer to a widespread range of in situ practical-oriented applications. © 2025 Optica Publishing Group. All rights, including for text and data mining (TDM), Artificial Intelligence (AI) training, and similar technologies, are reserved.