Engineers at Cornell University have developed a programmable synthetic skin inspired by the amazing ways octopus and cuttlefish are able to blend into their environment. The project spawned a stretchable material that’s capable of morphing into a variety of 3D shapes.

According to hi-news.ru, the pneumatically-activated material draws inspiration from the papillae that cephalopods use to camouflage. These papillae are muscular hydrostats with no skeletal support—much like the human tongue. The research team looked at these structures to create synthetic tissues capable of similar shape-shifting abilities.

The creators of synthetic skin say that their material can be useful in extreme situations where the temperature should be measured. For example, the two-dimensional form of the material can be programmed to reflect the light and the three-dimensional form can be programmed so that it can be adjusted to the optimum level.

This feature may also be useful when special interaction with water or the environment is required. Changes in the resistance of the material can be used to adjust the speed.