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posted by chromas on Thursday April 05 2018, @12:12AM   Printer-friendly
from the SquidCamo dept.

Now you see it: Invisibility material created by UCI engineers

"Basically, we've invented a soft material that can reflect heat in similar ways to how squid skin can reflect light," said corresponding author Alon Gorodetsky, an engineering professor. "It goes from wrinkled and dull to smooth and shiny, essentially changing the way it reflects the heat." Potential uses include better camouflage for troops and insulation for spacecraft, storage containers, emergency shelters, clinical care, and building heating and cooling systems.

"We were inspired both by science fiction and science fact – seeing dinosaurs disappear and reappear under an infrared camera in 'Jurassic World' and seeing squid filmed underwater do similar things," said Gorodetsky. "So we decided to merge those concepts to design a really unique technology."

Made of sandwiches of aluminum, plastic, and sticky tape, the material transforms from a wrinkled grey to a glossy surface when it is either pulled manually or zapped with voltage.

Products that reflect heat, such as emergency blankets, have existed for decades. But in the past several years, inventors in Gorodetsky's lab and others have pushed to create dramatically improved versions via bio-inspired engineering. One focus has been to imitate how squid and other cephalopods can nearly instantaneously change their skin to blend into their surrounding environment. Now, he and his team have done it, creating prototypes that can next be scaled up into large sheets of commercially useable material. Patents are pending.

Adaptive infrared-reflecting systems inspired by cephalopods (open, DOI: 10.1126/science.aar5191) (DX)

By drawing inspiration from cephalopod skin, we developed adaptive infrared-reflecting platforms that feature a simple actuation mechanism, low working temperature, tunable spectral range, weak angular dependence, fast response, stability to repeated cycling, amenability to patterning and multiplexing, autonomous operation, robust mechanical properties, and straightforward manufacturability. Our findings may open opportunities for infrared camouflage and other technologies that regulate infrared radiation.


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  • (Score: 2) by Absolutely.Geek on Thursday April 05 2018, @01:03AM

    by Absolutely.Geek (5328) on Thursday April 05 2018, @01:03AM (#662718)

    When reading the summary I first thought of home heating / cooling. It would be nice if the material could be transparent also; then in summer my windows could reflect heat and in winter let it through. But jjst applying to the roof of my house would make a big difference.

    --
    Don't trust the police or the government - Shihad: My mind's sedate.
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Kilo110 on Thursday April 05 2018, @04:12AM

    by Kilo110 (2853) Subscriber Badge on Thursday April 05 2018, @04:12AM (#662777)

    “Potential uses include better camouflage for troops and insulation for spacecraft, storage containers, emergency shelters, clinical care, and building heating and cooling systems.”

    Of course the military use came first in the list.

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