Squid Inspired Camouflage Fabric

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Engineers have been experimenting with octopus-inspired robotic tentacles for some time. Now, they are looking at the octopus’ camouflage ability for inspiration towards developing high-tech military camouflage.

Cuttlefish, octopus, and squid (or cephalopods) possess the ability to quickly change the color and pattern of their skins in order to camouflage with their surroundings or to scare away predators.

Their skin is covered with something called chromatophores. Chromatophores are sacs full of pigment surrounded by muscle fibers that control how much pigment is exposed. Furthermore, it has been observed that in some circumstances a cephalopod’s skin acts autonomously, meaning the skin changes color independently from the creature’s brain.

Many biologists and engineers believe that by studying these biological capabilities, humanity could potentially learn how to mimic these attributes to fabrics and develop dynamic, color-changing material for military camouflage applications. This concept could potentially be applied towards infrared camouflage as well as visible spectrum camouflage.

A team of researchers from the University of California has managed to demonstrate the potential of a “dynamic thermoregulatory material” which has been inspired by a squid’s skin. By altering the mechanical strain on the material, the material changes its characteristics, thus making it possible to regulate the body temperature of its wearer. In theory, this makes it possible to come off as invisible to infrared cameras and sensors.

The United States Army has looked into the possible military applications of such technology. The possibility of “smart skin” fabrics could help enable “adaptive optoelectronic camouflage systems inspired by cephalopod skins.”

The fabrics don’t need to exactly match the surroundings. C4isrnet.com reports that disruptive dazzle patterns could often be more effective than background matching, especially against edge-detection algorithms.

The challenge now is to mass-produce wearable “smart skin” for soldiers. The fabrics would have to include micro-structure components on a relatively large surface. Furthermore, the fabric will also have to be flexible and comfortable to wear.