A study found that the separation of a temperature-sensitive dye on a thin flexible electrical substrate from a diffused light sensor can bring a system capable of automatically adapting and matching the colors of their surroundings, as a kind of biological slave Pretend to be inspired.
There are many technical challenges to the passive pretend system that simulates cephalopods. John A. Rogers and colleagues took inspiration from the cellular mechanisms discovered in cephalopods to design and structure such a system.
The top layer is composed of a photosensitive dye that is black at low temperatures and transparent beyond 47 degrees Celsius. It covers a white reflective layer of silver and an ultra-thin silicon diode to adjust the color of this dye. A base layer contains distributed, multiplexed photodetectors, which provide functions similar to the light-sensitive opsin in cephalopod cells. This passive pretend system arranged in an array of flexible units responds to various changes in lighting within 1-2 seconds without requiring user input.
The authors say that these results suggest that these technologies and the operating principles of this system may lead to a fully adjustable, full-spectrum compliance pretend integrated into a scalable electronic device that has commercial, military, and industrial uses.