DARPA makes Robot that mimics chameleons

This strange looking robot created by DARPA has the incredible ability to change its color depending on the surface it crawls onto. But by all account it makes a chameleon look Superman fast.

It is made of silicone for its low cost and uses water and air for movement. In the video below it shows how slow it is. Although the video is actually sped up five times! So damn slow, then. It moves at about 40 meters per second, meaning it’s not going to win any races.

The coolest part, though is the fact that it changes color. It actually does so very convincingly too. You can see the liquid from the pipe going into the robot to change its color to suit. So, while it may not be able to run, it certainly can hide.

At the moment it uses a leash to connect it to a power supply and for the liquid to enter the robot. DARPA is working on a self-contained system for the robot, though.

[image credit]