Often, the ingenuity and calculation of military leaders radically changed the outcome of the battle, or even brought the army victory in the war. An important factor was also the use of camouflage means, which made it possible to preserve weapons and manpower, save civilians.
Competent disguise complicates the conduct of hostilities for the enemy. At the same time, the wide use of modern technologies and the achievements of science and technology plays a crucial role. If initially the means of masking were products from grass, sticks and leaves, now they have evolved to a level that allows you to completely hide people from the eyes of the enemy. Of course, a good help in the conduct of hostilities can only be the use of the most advanced methods of camouflage.
Along with the methods of masking, the methods of recognition of the enemy are also being improved. If before it was enough to make a person unrecognizable, then now you have to decide how to bypass, for example, infrared cameras.
Scientists from the University of California approached this issue seriously. Investigating the vulnerabilities of recognition tools, they invented material capable of hiding a person from infrared cameras and sensors.
This discovery by the scientist was suggested by nature itself: observations of squid showed that their skin can change its color if the tissues themselves are deformed. If this unusual property helps squid to save their lives, it can also help in military affairs.
Scientists from the United States of America repeated this phenomenon under laboratory conditions. They took a flexible film of polymeric materials and treated its surface with a thin layer of aluminum. The film, as a plastic material, is easily deformed when moving. In combination with a layer of aluminum, this film is able to completely imitate the properties of squid skin.
Then they placed the resulting film on the surface and began to heat it. While the film was heated, the sensors of the infrared camera recorded the presence of the object on which it was applied. In the cooled state, this object turned into invisible for infrared sensors. Now the scientists plan to develop a new type of camouflage, which will hide the one who wears it from the recognition technology.
