Researchers have developed a polymorphic 3D camouflage that can change not only color, but also shape

Researchers at Cornwall and Pennsylvania universities have developed and filed a patent application for a new material that can vary widely, like the “camouflage” skin of an octopus. This polymorphic 3D material can not only change the color of its surface, it can also change its texture and shape, adjusting to the shape and appearance of objects around it.

Controlling the shape and texture of the surface of even a sufficiently elastic material is a daunting task. This problem was solved with the creation of the CCOARSE (Circumferentially Constrained and Radially Stretched Elastomer) material by incorporating shaped fiber loops into the silicone elastomer. The shape of these loops was calculated using complex algorithms, taking into account all possible metamorphoses of the shape of the future material. And the creation of these loops inside the polymer was carried out with high precision using the light of a powerful laser.

Currently, the shape of the CCOARSE material is changed by changing the tensile force of each individual fiber loop, which is done according to a specially calculated algorithm. And, as experiments have shown, deviations of the actual shape that the material takes from the given one does not exceed 10 percent, which is quite enough to ensure the “invisibility” of the material surface in most types of environment.

Note that these studies were commissioned and funded by the Army Research Office. The military envisions using such versatile adaptive camouflage systems to camouflage robotic devices, reconnaissance, surveillance and other military equipment in a wide variety of environmental conditions. S

ource: www.dailytechinfo.org