Engineers invent octopus inspired technology that can deceive and signal

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The greater blue-ringed octopus, renowned for its ability to rapidly alter the size and color of the distinct patterns on its skin, has inspired scientists at the University of California, Irvine. This marine creature can swiftly change its skin markings for camouflage, signaling, and deception purposes. Using this biological marvel as their muse, the researchers have designed a technological platform with similar attributes. The upcoming high-tech devices will find applications across a range of areas, such as the military, robotics, sustainable energy, and medicine.

Innovations emerging from this development will boast dynamic fluorescence and spectroscopic features, scalability for large areas covering even vehicles, buildings, and billboards, and simple production methods. These in-depth findings have been documented in a study published in Nature Communications.

Embodying the octopus' unique ability to stun its prey using neurotoxin venom and scare predators with a flash of its blue rings, the technology has intrigued the UCI experts. They were particularly interested in the octopus' mesmerizing blue patterns set against a brown backdrop.

Senior Co-author Alon Gorodetsky, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UCI, expressed their amazement at the octopus' ability to rapidly shift its skin markings. The team replicated these natural abilities using specially synthesized materials, creating an octopus-inspired signaling and deception system that could fabricate easily, function for a prolonged period when operated continuously, and even self-repair when damaged.

Along with a transparent proton-conducting electrode and an underlying acrylic membrane, an identical electrode was placed beneath a thin film of wrinkled blue rings surrounded by brown circles– a mimicry of the octopus' pattern. Acenes, organic compounds composed of linearly fused benzene rings, were used at the molecular level in a bid to augment the platform's capabilities, as explained by Gorodetsky.

For the devices, they designed a unique nonacene-like molecule. As co-lead author Preeta Pratakshya explains, acenes are organic hydrocarbon molecules known for their advantageous features, such as simple synthesis, adjustable electronic characteristics, and control over optical properties. Pratakshya highlights that the nonacene-like molecules are incredibly resilient and stable, surviving harsh conditions like constant light exposure or prolonged storage.

The colored blue ring layer's fabrication using these molecules enables devices to have desirable features, including adjustable spectroscopic properties, simple benchtop manufacturing, and stability in an ambient atmosphere under illumination. Furthermore, the stimuli-responsive properties of these molecules could lead to computationally predicted stealth technologies, as noted by Gorodetsky.

Through test runs in UCI's California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, the team observed that the bio-inspired devices could alter their visible appearance more than 500 times with negligible degradation, further possessing the ability to self-repair independently. The invention demonstrated promising potential in the ultraviolet, visible light, and near-infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, implying a capacity to camouflage other objects or secretly signal observers.

Additional investigation into nonacene-like molecules could be beneficial for traditional optoelectronic systems like solar cells and light-emitting diodes, believes Gorodetsky.