South Korean Researchers Make Animal-Like 'Skin'
2021-09-15
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1South Korean researchers say they have developed a skin-like material that behaves like the skin of a chameleon.
2It can change colors to look like its surroundings.
3The team was led by Ko Seung-hwan, a mechanical engineering professor at Seoul National University.
4The team created the skin with a special liquid that turns colors in different temperatures.
5These changes are controlled by flexible heaters made of very small wires.
6If you are in a desert, and you wear forest-colored clothing, you can easily be seen, Ko told Reuters news agency.
7Changing colors and forms actively with your surroundings is central to the technology, Ko said.
8The technology uses something called thermochromic liquid crystal and silver nanowire heaters.
9Thermochromic means heat causes the colors to change.
10Nanowires are just like normal electrical wires, but they are extremely small.
11Ko and the team demonstrated this technology using a chameleon-shaped robot with color-seeking sensors.
12The skin tried to copy whatever colors the sensors "saw" around it.
13In a video, the robot walked on red, blue and green floors.
14It immediately changed color to look like its surroundings.
15Ko explained to Reuters how the material works.
16He said when the sensors find color information, they move that information to a very small processor.
17Then, the information goes to silver nanowire heaters.
18When the heaters reach a specified temperature, the thermochromic liquid crystal changes its color, Ko said.
19Though the skin is made of many layers, its total thickness is less than a hundred micrometers.
20In other words, it is thinner than a human hair.
21By adding more silver nanowire layers in simple shapes like lines or squares, the skin can create complex designs.
22"The flexible skin can be developed as a wearable device and used for fashion," Ko said.
23It can also be used in military clothing and to create designs on the outside of cars and buildings, he said.
24The team's research was published in the journal Nature Communications in August.
25I'm Alice Bryant.
1South Korean researchers say they have developed a skin-like material that behaves like the skin of a chameleon. It can change colors to look like its surroundings. 2The team was led by Ko Seung-hwan, a mechanical engineering professor at Seoul National University. The team created the skin with a special liquid that turns colors in different temperatures. These changes are controlled by flexible heaters made of very small wires. 3If you are in a desert, and you wear forest-colored clothing, you can easily be seen, Ko told Reuters news agency. Changing colors and forms actively with your surroundings is central to the technology, Ko said. 4The technology uses something called thermochromic liquid crystal and silver nanowire heaters. Thermochromic means heat causes the colors to change. Nanowires are just like normal electrical wires, but they are extremely small. 5Ko and the team demonstrated this technology using a chameleon-shaped robot with color-seeking sensors. The skin tried to copy whatever colors the sensors "saw" around it. 6In a video, the robot walked on red, blue and green floors. It immediately changed color to look like its surroundings. 7Ko explained to Reuters how the material works. He said when the sensors find color information, they move that information to a very small processor. Then, the information goes to silver nanowire heaters. 8When the heaters reach a specified temperature, the thermochromic liquid crystal changes its color, Ko said. 9Though the skin is made of many layers, its total thickness is less than a hundred micrometers. In other words, it is thinner than a human hair. By adding more silver nanowire layers in simple shapes like lines or squares, the skin can create complex designs. 10"The flexible skin can be developed as a wearable device and used for fashion," Ko said. It can also be used in military clothing and to create designs on the outside of cars and buildings, he said. 11The team's research was published in the journal Nature Communications in August. 12I'm Alice Bryant. 13Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 14__________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16Chameleon - n. a type of lizard that can change the color of its skin to look like the colors that are around it 17Flexible - adj. capable of bending or being bent 18Crystal - n. a special type of glass that is very clear 19Specify - adj. named or mentioned exactly and clearly 20Sensor - n. a device that detects or senses heat, light, sound, motion, etc., and then reacts to it in a particular way 21Layer - n. a covering piece of material or a part that lies over or under another 22Fashion - n. a popular way of dressing during a particular time or among a particular group of people