Squid Bot

First there was the Meshworm, the indestructible worm-like robot from MIT. Now, here comes squid bot, a robot that is able to camouflage itself.

Hailing from Havard University, this soft robot is capable of taking on a new colour by allow it to blend in or distinguish itself from its surroundings. The robot does not know what colours are around it and change accordingly but has embedded channels within it for scientists to fill with dye.

The channels contain air and fluid canals which are so tiny that enables squid bot to camouflage easily from a short distance away. The robot requires half a minute to be filled with colour and another half for it to drain.

The long-term but distant target for researchers is to produce a wirelessly-enabled robot which can automatically disappear into its surroundings. Scientists claimed that their colour-changing innovations can be used in surgical simulation.

For example, squid bot and the art behind it may be used as an alternative by fabricating disposable but realistic practice organs for trainee doctors who currently practice procedures on organic tissue.

Additionally, squid bot can also blend in infrared surroundings, which could be a new breakthrough to helping people see in darkness by illuminating it in infrared.

However, the technology of squid bot is more of a physics affair than a biological one. A real squid utilizes optical illusions to reflect light in order to camouflage instead of things like fluid and altering of the air. But still, it is a pretty cool invention.