Tiny tunnels within the “skin” of a robot allow it to hide or stand out

By Stephen Ornes

Web edition: October 16, 2012

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Tiny tubes filled with colored dyes let these soft robots blend in with their environments.

Credit: S. Morin, Harvard University

Chameleons and octopuses are masters of disguise: These animals can change their appearance at a moment’s notice. Now, so can a robot.

Scientists at Harvard University recently invented a squishy robot that looks like an inflatable letter “X.” About the size of a smartphone, it lurches along like a mysterious jelly creature on the bottom of the sea. Now, in a project funded by the U.S. government, these scientists have created a new cloak for the robot that gives it the ability to change color.

Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: Color-changing robot