Adaptive Material Inspired By Octopus Skin

Nature has more often than not proven itself to be the inspiration for new advances in the realm of science, and this time around it is no different with word that a new kind of adaptive material has been developed, picking up its inspiration from that of the regular octopus skin. In fact, this new adaptive material could be used as the basis for adaptive camouflage, although make no mistake about it – there is still room for improvement.

Scientists behind this new material gained their inspiration from cephalopod skin, which is a master magician when it come to changing color almost immediately, depending on the environment around. Right now, the prototype material will only be able to change between black and white, but lead researchers Cunjiang Yu at the University of Houston and John Rogers at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign intend to bring these basic principles to the next level in order to roll out even more complex material down the road.

Last year, we talked about how squids could be the inspiration for new camouflage clothing for our boys in the battlefield, and here we are with the baby steps of this technology. Will we see a new “Mystique” class of material soon?

Edwin Kee
Categories: General
Tags: Science