Biomimetic soft camouflaging skins can one day be used to replicate the color-changing functions of living organisms' skins and aid in achieving active camouflage and paving the way for revolutionary changes in robotics. An international team of scientists From China and Germany has taken a step toward that goal -- all the while establishing a novel technology that can detect seafood freshness. Scientists created an artificial color-changing material that mimics chameleon skin by organizing luminogens (molecules that make crystals glow) into various core and shell hydrogel layers rather than one uniform matrix, according to a study published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. Thanks to this new design, a two-luminogen hydrogel chemosensor can be used to detect seafood freshness by changing color according to the amine -- an organic compound formed by replacing one or more hydrogen atoms in ammonia with organic groups -- vapors emitted by microbes as fish goes bad. This concept goes back a couple of decades since scientists have already envisioned developing soft materials that can change color with ease.

An artificial colour-changing material inspired by the skins of chameleons can be used as a chemical sensor to determine whether seafood is fresh, a study found. Developed by experts from China, the device switches from pink to green in the presence of the amine vapours released by microbes when fish and shrimp spoil. The novel material could also find applications in the development of anticounterfeit technology, camouflage for robots and stretchable electronics, the team said. Panther chameleons are colour-changing reptiles native to the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Males of the species -- which are more brightly coloured than their female counterparts and change hue when asserting their dominance -- can grow to around 8 inches (20 cm) in length.