'Artificial Chameleon Skin' That Hides in Any Environment Released

Seoul National University Professor Go Seung-hwan's Research Team Develops Artificial Cloaking Device

A device was developed by applying a color sensor to multi-layer artificial chameleon skin, which detects the colors of the surrounding environment in real time and demonstrates active camouflage performance through a precise and fast control system. Based on this, a chameleon robot was implemented by applying the skin to the robot, enabling it to crawl on various colored backgrounds, sense the surrounding environment in real time, and autonomously change its body color accordingly.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Domestic researchers have developed an artificial skin capable of camouflage in various environments like a chameleon.

Seoul National University announced on the 18th that Professor Go Seung-hwan's research team at the College of Engineering developed an artificial chameleon skin capable of camouflage in various environments based on a thin temperature-responsive liquid crystal ink and a thin, flexible silver nanowire heater.

Artificial camouflage devices have been steadily developed in various ways since the 1800s as a technology to increase the survival rate of allied forces on the battlefield, and continuous research is still being conducted as one of the important military technologies. Camouflage technologies found in nature, such as those of chameleons and octopuses, are being extensively studied not only for military use but also for various applications including the rapidly emerging wearable devices and soft robots.

Existing artificial camouflage devices were limited to implementing various colors, and their camouflage efficiency significantly decreased in actual natural environments.

The research team developed an active artificial camouflage device based on polymer film, temperature-responsive liquid crystal ink, and vertically stacked silver nanowire heaters with various patterns. This new wearable camouflage device is easy to attach to robots or skin and maintains its characteristics even under mechanical deformation. The temperature-responsive liquid crystal ink used in this device is a material that can display red, green, and blue (RGB) colors depending on temperature, enabling the implementation of various colors through thermal stimulation from the precisely controlled silver nanowire heater. Additionally, the team developed a flexible heater using a silver nanowire network electrode that maintains electrical properties under mechanical deformation, successfully realizing a highly durable wearable device. The silver nanowire network heater was precisely processed and vertically stacked through laser processing. By turning on heaters in each layer, different discoloration patterns of the surface temperature-responsive liquid crystal ink can be induced, allowing for desired patterns and color camouflage effects.

The research team developed a device capable of real-time active camouflage with a system that autonomously senses various surrounding environments and a control system that enables precise and rapid control. They simplified the system by adding a simple sensing system and control logic to the thin film-type wearable chameleon skin device with vertically stacked patterns.

The researchers applied this next-generation camouflage device to create a 'Chameleon Robot' that can actively camouflage in real-time against backgrounds of various colors.

The research team explained, "We have secured a new soft camouflage device core technology that is mechanically flexible and capable of expressing various colors and patterns," adding, "By integrating heater stacking and sensor control systems, we propose a new technology that minimizes the complexity of conventional camouflage systems, securing the core technology for next-generation artificial camouflage."

They also added, "Besides military use, there is broad interest in architecture, art and fashion, and various consumer goods for outdoor activities, which has the effect of technological preemption in industrial fields and will greatly contribute to establishing a leading position in related industries."

The research results were published on the 10th in the international journal Nature Communications.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.