Scientists Develop an Octopus-Like ‘Soft Robot’ That Can Change Color
A research team in South Korea has developed a soft robot called Octoid, capable of imitating the movement and behavior of an octopus in its natural habitat. The robot’s “triple-in-one” system allows it to change color, move and capture its prey in a fascinating way similar to that of the aquatic animal.
While the scientific world has worked for more than a decade to model robots after octopuses, this is the first time scientists have managed to combine the way an octopus moves and camouflages itself into a single robot.
Octoid was built by researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, led by a scientist named Dae-Yoon Kim.
“We aim to extend this technology to the development of intelligent software machines, such as self-aware, reflexive, and learning-based software robots,” Kim said in a statement Thursday.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased technical content and lab reviews. Add CNET as your preferred Google source.
Colorful crystals
The octoid legs camouflage like the octopus pictured above.
The base material used for Octoid is called photonic crystal polymer. It’s a nanostructured material that can do interesting things when light passes through it. By splitting and reflecting specific wavelengths of light, this type of polymer can display brilliant colors within its structure.
Today, photonic crystal polymers have many real-world applications, such as high-tech sensors, remote communication, and optical computing. But using this material to make soft robots remains a relatively new and emerging area within robotics.
The researchers used polymers to give the robot a special structure capable of moving smoothly and flexibly while changing color. The team was able to control the robot using electrical signals that created microscopic contraction and expansion, causing Octoid to change from blue to green to red.
Aquatic robotics
The octopus has a unique body that interested scientists for years. We saw robots that move like the tentacles of an octopus from various laboratories and companies. It’s not just about octopuses; sea creatures seems capture the imagination of roboticists around the world.
The team behind Octoid says the robot presents new possibilities for biomimetic soft robotics technology. They say the technology displayed in Octoid’s body has the potential to help in sectors such as deep-sea rescue, marine ecology monitoring and hospital robots to help people go further, as well as in military applications.
“Through this research, we obtained materials for soft robots that can be applied to various fields, including autonomous adaptive robots, military camouflage systems, marine exploration robots and medical microrobots,” Kim said.
The article was originally published on October 15, 2025 in Advanced Functional Materials.
