Scientists Invent A Robotic Chameleon That Changes Skin Based On Surroundings
Photo 58080746 © Cathy Keifer | Dreamstime.com
Inspired by chameleons and their incredible adaptability, scientists in South Korea have built a robotic version with an uncanny walk and color-changing ‘skin’.
Revealed in the Nature Communications scientific journal, the chameleon robot’s artificial electronic skin is created from a thin layer of liquid crystal ink that can instantly adjust to any hue with temperature changes, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
The skin is also pre-programmed with patterns of dots, stripes, and curlicues that are versatile enough to imitate most backgrounds. Sukjoon Hong, a mechanical engineer from Hanyang University and one of the research’s authors, explains that the exterior need not exactly copy the surroundings; “as [long] as it is complex enough… we can get sufficient amount of [camouflage].” After all, not even real chameleons adapt perfectly to backgrounds—their skins are essentially made to blend in.
Additional pre-patterned heater strips are inserted beneath the robot’s skin, while its underbelly is built with color sensors attached to a control unit to recognize shades under its feet. The bot even has the quintessential googly eyes, because why not?
“It’s walking around and also changing color at the same time,” describes Seung Hwan Ko from Seoul National University. “So it’s kind of like a full working chameleon.”
The bionic lizard is able to switch its colors within half a second of moving into a new environment, cleverly disguising itself among leaves and flowers.
Such technology could inspire scientists and inventors to develop new types of active camouflage, which might not just be helpful in military settings but also in the world of fashion, says the Smithsonian Magazine.
The team aspires to move on to another master of camouflage in the wild—the octopus—and it’s only going to get more challenging. “Its movement is much more complex than a chameleon,” notes Ko.
[via Smithsonian Magazine, cover photo 58080746 © Cathy Keifer | Dreamstime.com]
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