New cuttlefish-inspired display tech can change color, eat your pet guppy

Cuttlefish are one of the most intelligent creatures in the sea, able to change their shape and color to escape predators -- but, they aren't smart enough to escape us, and they taste good, so they also go great with risotto. Scientists at MIT, however, decided not to eat their cuttlefish, instead using them to inspire the tech inside a new type of highly-efficient display. The screen is just one micron thick and contains a layer of poly-2 vinyl. Left alone it's clear but, when exposed to an electrical charge, its thickness and reflectivity can be controlled to create color. Just a few volts are required to form an image but, like e-ink, its design means backlighting is not an option. Viewing angles are also quite poor at this point, so this is one display tech that may take a long time to belly up at retail. Master of disguise video after the break.

[niloc @ May 15th 2009 9:31AM]

Nomnomnomnomnom... pet puppies are delicious.

[Bellzebub @ May 15th 2009 9:41AM]

You mean "guppy" right?

[Blackstar @ May 15th 2009 4:08PM]

I think niloc is a squid with internet access.

[Mustaine @ May 17th 2009 6:11AM]

Clearly an evil 'Colin' from a parallel universe

[Benson @ May 18th 2009 12:48AM]

Probably both, actually.

[dajimmers @ May 15th 2009 9:40AM]

Display tech? I say make em bigger and angrier, and put them in a pool. Invisible assassins!

[Tim Brown @ May 15th 2009 10:20AM]

"As a side effect, the cuttlefish got smarter" does not have the same ring as "sharks"

[nosgoroth @ May 15th 2009 9:41AM]

Microns thick? Excellent, can we use these to wallpaper bedrooms?

[MeanSpyvie @ May 15th 2009 4:21PM]

I want a thin film of this on my car, so it can change color and flash animated bumper stickers at will.

[aardWolf @ May 15th 2009 9:54AM]

Ok... so I watched the entire video only to discover it had absolutely nothing to do with display technology... Nice.

[Duke @ May 15th 2009 10:12AM]

So, can we watch tv on a cuttlefish yet or what? That would be the perfect way to enjoy an aquarium and some Family Guy.

[rawrawrawr @ May 15th 2009 10:43AM]

Enjoy? Family Guy?

[Billy @ May 15th 2009 10:19AM]

that's some sick camo at the end. makes you wonder how many times you might have seen these snorkeling

[elmer @ May 15th 2009 10:21AM]

It sounds to me like they've made an adaptive dichroic. If true, this would be a real boon for the scientific community, as it means we could make common spectral instruments much cheaper and/or smaller by avoiding complex optical hardware or having to buy many single-wavelength filters to produce specific colors.

[random @ May 15th 2009 10:23AM]

wow, the squid changed colour quickly

[Magallanes @ May 15th 2009 10:26AM]

All glory to The Hypno Cuttlefish

[rawrawrawr @ May 15th 2009 10:45AM]

I went to an aquarium the other day and spent about 20 minutes in front of the cuttlefish tank. They don't make the same hypnotoad noise but they're very soothing.

[Brdystyls @ May 15th 2009 10:32AM]

This isn't a new theory, this theory was done by Rudy Rucker in his book Postsingular.

[strider_mt2k @ May 15th 2009 10:40AM]

Dr. Dugong will be pleased.

DUGONG!
DOCTOR DUGONG!
DOUGLAS R.!

-and did you hear that ORIGIN story? -Secrets of love and caring? -REALLY?

[bioadam @ May 15th 2009 10:47AM]

I'm more interested in IBM's new snuggly tech derived from the cuddle fish.

[Phoenix @ May 15th 2009 10:52AM]

When there was talk on the BBC last week of using cuttlefish-style stuff to hide tanks and soldiers, I thought "Why do that, just cover the tanks in cuttlefish!"

[darok3k @ May 15th 2009 11:10AM]

i would eat the fish....

[Mike @ May 15th 2009 11:14AM]

must be how Otacon created the OctoCamo

[darkmax @ May 15th 2009 11:40AM]

Is the display edible?.... like the delicious cuttlefish? 'cos the hungry homeless man outside the store would certainly love to sink his teeth into the display...

[gr8scotny @ May 15th 2009 3:23PM]

I love how during the interview the cuttlefish in tank behind him were watching the interview. Watching and plotting.

[Amun @ May 15th 2009 4:01PM]

Further proof that everyone on youtube is an idiot.

[superhobo @ May 15th 2009 5:27PM]

Randall Munroe already predicted that cuttlefish will take over the world.