A SOMERSET scientist who has created a potion that can make people invisible has conceded he will have to fine tune his invention before it can be made available to the general public.
And even then Joe Kerr says rigorous rules will need to be put in place to ensure it doesn't get into the wrong hands.
Mr Kerr, who lives in a hamlet near Taunton, refuses to divulge the recipe for the "invisible dream" as he calls it.
But he has already successfully tested it on mice in a lab in Wellington, on a junior football match in a Bridgwater and in parks in Chard, Burnham-on-Sea, Portishead and Weston-super Mare.
A test on his pet cat was successful, but with disastrous results.
"I think - no, I know - I've found the Holy Grail," said Mr Kerr, 72, who is setting up a company called Invisbco to patent his invention.
"It's been my lifelong dream and now it's a reality.
"It's taken me many years and quite a bit of money, but I finally got there during the first lockdown.
"I've only spoken to a handful of people about it so far, but felt the time was right to go public."
He used only a small amount of his solution on six mice in a secret lab in Wellington.
"They were in a cage so couldn't escape," said Mr Kerr.
"I've no idea what they got up to as they were completely invisible for around three minutes, but I could hear the sound of them eating.
"It was a relief when I saw them again once they 'came round'. They seemed totally unfazed by it all."
Mr Kerr then tested it on his cat Tibbs, a 10-year-old Siamese, in his garden.
"Well, it worked alright," he said. "Tibbs disappeared from view. But I've never seen him since.
"He must have run off. I've got no idea where he is now."
One problem Mr Kerr has had to overcome is that although living beings can be made to disappear temporarily, he says he believes it is impossible to make items invisible.
"Watches, jewellery and clothes can all be seen," he added.
"This means that to be totally invisible humans taking part in the test have to be totally naked.
"It's also no good if you've, for example, had a hip replacement, as that would be seen while the rest of you is invisible."
To overcome the issue, Mr Kerr took part in an under tens football match in Bridgwater.
"It was great fun," he said.
"I held one player back when he had an open goal to shoot at. He just looked confused and had no idea what was gong on.
"I also picked the ball up and ran the length of the pitch and threw it into the net.
"The referee had no option but to award the goal. At half time I stood in a group of people near the ref and kept shouting, 'You're a cheat ref'. He booked six spectators."
Mr Kerr then disappeared to his car to put his clothes on and when he became visible again, he returned to watch the second half, having been invisible for a total of 30 minutes
He has taken his seven-year-old granddaughter to a number of parks in the county.
"She loved it," said Mr Kerr.
"The other kids in the parks couldn't understand why the swings were moving when she was on them.
"She ran off with a group of boys' kite - they thought the wind had taken it."
He added: "There are several issues to iron out such as will it make crime easier to commit and even harder to solve?
"Will 'spies' be able to steal secrets from companies or governments?
"Will people be able to travel on an aircraft undetected?
"These are just some of the many problems I'll be working on in the coming months and years.
"But I'm hoping my invention will be available within the next five years."
Share