Also: squid, octopus, reflectin proteins
Squid, octopus and cuttlefish change color and pattern in an instant. Their reflective protein reflectin and their skin design inspire adaptive camouflage materials.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Crookes and colleagues described reflectins, the unusual proteins in squid reflective tissues.
As reported in: Crookes, Ding, Huang et al. (2004). Reflectins: The Unusual Proteins of Squid Reflective Tissues. Science. doi:10.1126/science.1091288
Abstract only
Hanlon reviewed how cephalopods rapidly change appearance to blend in.
As reported in: Hanlon (2007). Cephalopod dynamic camouflage. Current Biology. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.03.034
Yu and colleagues built flexible optoelectronic sheets that sense light and change pattern like cephalopod skin.
Built / tested: adaptive camouflage sheet
As reported in: Yu, Li, Zhang et al. (2014). Adaptive optoelectronic camouflage systems with designs inspired by cephalopod skins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.1410494111
Phan and colleagues made reconfigurable infrared camouflage coatings from squid reflectin.
Built / tested: reflectin coatings
As reported in: Phan, Walkup, Ordinario et al. (2013). Reconfigurable Infrared Camouflage Coatings from a Cephalopod Protein. Advanced Materials. doi:10.1002/adma.201301472
Abstract only