Octopuses Show Scientists How To Hide Machines in Plain Sight (axios.com)

If you want to learn the art of camouflage look no further than octopuses. Just watch this famous video that shows a diver slowly swimming up to a clump of rock and seaweed, only for part of that clump to turn white, open its eye, and jet away, squirting ink behind it. Materials scientists and engineers have fallen under the octopuses' spell. From a report: Scientists have engineered a material that can transform from a 2D sheet to a 3D shape, adjusting its texture to blend in with its surroundings, per a new study published today in Science. They mimicked the abilities of an octopus, which can change both shape and color to camouflage. This is a first step toward developing soft robots that can hide in plain sight, robotics expert Cecilia Laschi writes of the research. Robots that can camouflage may one day be used in natural environments to study animals more closely than ever before or in military operations to avoid detection, she writes.

Comments

I believe the correct terminology is...

[h33t l4x0r]

Octopussies.

Military applications

[tinkerton]

It's always the military applications because that's where the money is. What was it again for US? 700 bn + 130 bn or so for ongoing wars. With a bunch of obfuscated and indirect costs on top.

Re:Military applications

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep, "defense" spending. Boggles the mind that a significant portion of Americans accepts military spending, but balks about providing healthcare to all its citizens. You put that in perspective, if the $700 billion figure is correct, as today it has been reported that Trump is saving $7 billion (1% of the military budget) by cutting healthcare subsidies which affects millions of lower income Americans. Of course, it probably ends up costing more in lost productivity for people who are ill and can not afford medical services.

Re:Military applications

[Gilgaron]

For better or for worse, the best jobs some of his supporters are likely able to get would be found by joining the military. It has become a right-friendly make-work program.

Camouflage

[Obfiscator]

Anyone else notice how the octopus in the video was the only part of the clump of seaweed not swaying in the current? Guess they have to work on imitating that next.

Re:Camouflage

[Xest]

As a diver, and underwater photographer, this sort of thing is exactly what I've started to notice over the years. When I started diving you'd go down with a guide and they'd drag you round at their pace, and the pace of a bunch of other people in the group and you'd see these amazing reefs and amazing creatures, it was an absolute revelation about the amazing things that exist in our world.

But it was nothing compared to when I first went out by myself, and slowed right down to take my time to find smaller macro subjects, and started glancing at every inch of the reef to see what I could see, only to realise that when you slow down, and take your time to let your eyes spot exactly the type of out of place things you describe that you then spot the other 75% of the reef that you just never noticed before. The blennies that hid so fast when they saw you coming you never knew they were there, the tiny sea horses perfectly camouflaged in with whatever they're attached to, the frogfish that just look like common coral stuck to the rocks, the octopus that has disguised itself perfectly into some plant, rock or crevice, the flounders, rays, angel sharks and variety of other ambush predators buried in the sand.

There are massive proportions of the underwater ecosystem that we just do not even notice until we slow down, even stop, and take the time to notice the incredibly subtle out of place things you've spotted in this video, and that's when the ocean both on and off reef really begins to amaze you. If you've only done guided tours of reefs at typical tour speeds then you've only experienced a fraction of what the reef has to offer, if you've not even done a dive then you've not experienced what is far and away the most incredible and alien ecosystem on our planet.

But if you ever get the chance to do a dive, do it justice and find a partner, or pay the extra and hire a private dive master who is willing to let you take the time to really experience the reef, and really spot what's there. Deeper isn't always better, some of my favourite dives have been no less than 6 metres where I can stay down for 1 hour 30 mins on a single 12 litre tank and really take my time to spot the most amazing things - with environments this diverse you're sometimes even spotting species that aren't even formally known to science yet.

Re:Are they really octopuses?

[Anonymous Coward]

One would think they prefer to be known collectively as octopi.

WRONG

Usage

The standard plural in English of octopus is octopuses. However, the word octopus comes from Greek and the Greek plural form octopodes is still occasionally used. The plural form octopi, formed according to rules for some Latin plurals, is incorrect

Re:Are they really octopuses?

[GrumpySteen]

One would think a pedant would be aware that the word octopus originates from Greek and wouldn't use Latin pluralization rules on it.

https://www.merriam-webster.co...

But who am I kidding? Pedants are rarely aware of anything other than their desire to make themselves feel smart by correcting others, even when they're wrong to do so.

Re:Video is 'augemented'

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh-oh. Yes octopuses can change their skin texture using muscles under the skin.

Obligatory...

[coofercat]

I had some of this material somewhere... now where did I put it?

(thank you, I'm here all week)

You can't easily see these robots

[93 Escort Wagon]

But it's a dead giveaway when they squirt ink at you.

Squirting ink ...

[PPH]

... and running away. Are you sure this wasn't the Washington Post?