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Stretchable surfaces with programmable 3D texture morphing for synthetic camouflaging skins

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

J.H. Pikul
S. Li
H. Bai
R.T. Hanlon
Itai Cohen
R.F. Shepherd

Abstract

Technologies that use stretchable materials are increasingly important, yet we are unable to control how they stretch with much more sophistication than inflating balloons. Nature, however, demonstrates remarkable control of stretchable surfaces; for example, cephalopods can project hierarchical structures from their skin in milliseconds for a wide range of textural camouflage. Inspired by cephalopod muscular morphology, we developed synthetic tissue groupings that allowed programmable transformation of two-dimensional (2D) stretchable surfaces into target 3D shapes. The synthetic tissue groupings consisted of elastomeric membranes embedded with inextensible textile mesh that inflated to within 10% of their target shapes by using a simple fabrication method and modeling approach. These stretchable surfaces transform from flat sheets to 3D textures that imitate natural stone and plant shapes and camouflage into their background environments. © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

Date Published

Journal

Science

Volume

358

Issue

6360

Number of Pages

210-214,

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85031325907&doi=10.1126%2fscience.aan5627&partnerID=40&md5=05c5fdbcf04578634ebc4602865aa2d9

DOI

10.1126/science.aan5627

Group (Lab)

Itai Cohen Group

Funding Source

FA9550-09-0346
W911NF-16-1-0006

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