A new octopus-inspired polymer can change colour and texture on command.
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Researchers have developed a material that can change colour and texture on command, inspired by the shape-shifting camouflage of some cephalapods.
Read the paper: Soft photonic skins with dynamic texture and colour control
The team use a beam of electrons to draw designs onto a polymer which is then exposed to water. When wet, the polymer swells and reveals the textures patterned into it with the electron beam.
The researchers say that this tuneable polymer could be used in wearable devices or soft robots.
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