Scientists borrow camouflage technique from cuttlefish. A new reflective fabric that can adjust its reflective properties has a future in aerospace, the military, the transport sector and more, say the inventors.
The scientists have looked for special cells in the skin of squid that reflect light from the dominant surrounding color, so that the marine animals are absorbed into the background. The researchers mimicked this effect with material that directly changes how heat is reflected when an electrical voltage is applied.
‘Invisibility blanket’
The substance is a bit like an insulation blanket used by emergency workers and has the same reflective basic characteristics. It consists of layers of aluminum, plastic, and high visibility tape and is wrinkled and dull in its base.
Now that there is tension on the material, the layer becomes smooth and shiny, so that the reflective properties of the material change. In this way, for example, someone dressed in a uniform with this material can become invisible to infrared cameras.
A patent has been applied for on the idea that now all of them are still in laboratory form. The idea is to produce large quantities of the fabric for, for example, army clothing, emergency shelters, space springs, or cooling systems. The dissertation on the new reflective material was published today in scientific journal Science.