Electronic Octopus Skin May Be The Future Of Robotics And Wearable Tech

Trending News: Robots Of The Future May Wear Light-Up Octopus Skin To Seem More Friendly

Why Is This Important?

Because the technology could offer the breakthrough needed in wearables.

Long Story Short

Scientists at Cornell University are working on a stretchy, light-up octopus-inspired skin that robots could wear to make us feel more comfortable around them. It could also signify the future for screens.

Long Story

Imagine the ability to squish your smartphone into the size of a golf ball before stuffing it your pocket and then unfurling it to regular size when you get another text. Crazy, huh? We're still very far away from something like that, but researchers at Cornell University are working on a "skin" that'll not only make wearable tech like that possible, but at the same time change the way we look at robots.

The research published in the journal Science explains how octopus skin was the inspiration behind a color-changing material that can stretch up to six times its size. A video released by the researchers demonstrates an artificial inch worm they invented that can bend and change color fluidly (watch it on Gizmodo). Lead author Robert Shepherd and his team are hoping robots of the future will be able to put this material on to show off their mood and appear more approachable to us humans who may not be so willing to get all buddy-buddy with a hunk of metal. Better still, the skin could make the robot have a bendable screen for a face instead of one made out of metal or silicon.

"We actually made two things here," said Shepherd to The Washington Post, "we made soft robots that can change their color and display information, and we made a display that can change its shape." 

In theory, Shepherd wants to get rid of hard electronic components altogether and make truly soft robots that can bend into any shape while maintaining its strength, like an octopus can. Something like that could have all kinds of uses, whether its an Apple (or Samsung) sleeve or buttons for a TV remote that only pop up when you need them.

"Imagine having a volume control knob that pops up when you need it and then goes away," said the study's lead author Robert Shepherd to WaPo. 

With the market for smart watches shaky at best, could this be the first step in a fully smart (hopefully stylish) outfit?

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Would we really be more open to robots if their mood changes color? They still aren't human (no offence killer robots of the future). 

Disrupt Your Feed

Its hard enough locating the TV remote now, imagine how hard it'd be to find if it can bend to fit in the cracks of the couch. 

Drop This Fact

Squid skin was the inspiration behind research into a roll-on invisibility cloak.