CCOARSE mimicking a succulent plant. (J. H. Pikul et al. Science 2017)
In a blink of an eye, an octopus can transform from a colorful creature to a drab pile of rocks and plant life, indistinguishable from the surface it's perched on. This camouflage relies on specialized pigment organs, but what makes the octopus unique among animals is its ability to change the texture of its skin. Previously flat stretches can bulge out in patterns that complete the illusion. James Pikul , an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics in the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, is taking inspiration from these and other cephalopods, developing a deeper understanding of the physics that allow 2-D surfaces to transform into 3-D shapes. In a paper published in the journal Science, Pikul and co-authors outlined a method for achieving this transformation that they have dubbed CCOARSE, or Circumferentially Constrained and Radially Stretched Elastomer. Consisting of a stretchy silicone layer imbued with an inflexible fiber mesh in precise locations, the material can be inflated like a balloon into a predetermined 3-D shape. Pikul helped developed CCOARSE with colleagues at Cornell University, where he conducted work as a postdoctoral researcher under Itai Cohen , professor of physics, and Rob Shepherd , assistant professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
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