By Dan Robitzski, Live Science
In a flash, an octopus can make like ragged-edged seaweed or coral by changing the color and texture of its skin, thus becoming nearly invisible in its environment. And in the future, robots may be able to pull off this seemingly magical camouflage trick as well.
Researchers have created a synthetic form of cephalopod skin that can transform from a flat, 2D surface to a three-dimensional one with bumps and pits, they report today (Oct. 12) in the journal Science. This technology could one day be used in soft robots, which are typically covered in a stretchy silicone “skin,” the researchers said. Read more …
Caption: The researchers tested out their silicone camouflage technique by creating a prototype that transformed from a flat surface into a 3D one that mimicked a succulent plant. J.H. Pikul et al. / Science (2017)