article_snippet: The chameleon’s ability to change colour and blend into the background is famous.
article_snippet: The incredibly thin camouflage material can be made to change colour on demand, by  bending it.
article_snippet: This is the first time anybody has made a flexible chameleon-like skin that can change colour simply by flexing This,’ said Professor Connie Chang-Hasnain, a member of the University of California Berkeley team that developed the material.
article_snippet: the material (illustrated) can be made to change colour on demand like a chameleon (stock image), by applying a minimal amount of force .
article_snippet: Chameleons appear to be capable of rearranging crystals inside specialised skin cells to switch hues in order to attract a potential mate or scare off a rival.
article_snippet: Not only do the crystals allow the lizard to shift rapidly from efficient camouflage and spectacular mating displays, but the crystals also protect the lizard from overheating.
article_snippet: the lizard was previously thought that coloured pigments were gathered and dispersed inside different cells.
article_snippet: Professor Chang-Hasnain said that such ‘structural colour’ is much less common in nature, but is used by some butterflies and beetles to create a an iridescent display.
article_snippet: The study, published in the journal Optica, says the material is easy to manufacture with the desired surface properties and is able to reflect very pure colours, reflecting up to 83 per cent of the incoming light.
article_snippet: Professor Chang-Hasnain said the chameleon material to make a new type of billboard as well as create an active camouflage on the exterior of vehicles that would change colour to better match the surrounding environment.
article_snippet: the chameleon material could also be used to make sensors that would change colour to indicate that structural fatigue was stressing critical components on bridges, buildings, or the wings of airplanes.
article_snippet: This is the first time anyone has achieved such a broad range of colour on a one-layer, thin and flexible surface.
highlights_snippet: It can be made to change colour on demand, by applying force .
  