Nature, once again, manages to inspire the scientific community.
Just as humans have weapons like the powerful Leopard 2 tank and satellites orbiting the planet to defend themselves, some animals They have gotten adapt your body to be completely amazing. The case of squid is little known, but we are dealing with a marine creature that is capable of change the color of your skin, due to some curious cells. Now we tell you everything.
The concept of ‘liquid windows’ comes from the study of squid
As you can see in the Tweet that we show you under these lines, the squids are amazing animals. And that is why a team of researchers at the University of Toronto has used this being to be inspired in the construction of a new generation of windows. According to the article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we are on the threshold of the so-called ‘liquid windows’which could be an extraordinary advance for our homes, both in terms of costs and energy savings.
Glass squid 🦑 can change color instantly pic.twitter.com/RPR288af4E
—Domenico (@AvatarDomy) November 24, 2022
Through cells called chromatophoresthe squid are able to change at will the pigmentation of your skin. It is thanks to this process that researchers have managed to create a type of window which can change the wavelength, intensity, and distribution of light that reaches the window panes. Raphael Kaystudy co-author, it states that:
Buildings use a large amount of energy to heat, cool, and light the spaces within them. If we can strategically control the amount, type, and direction of solar energy entering our buildings, we could massively reduce the work we ask of heating, cooling, and lighting.
The team, to save you too many technicalities, built a microfluidic system composed by plastic sheets that contain small channels through which fluids are released. If they are added pigments to the fluid, the wavelength also it varies. In this case, moreover, the combination of different layers makes it possible to check from the light intensity or its direction.
In a simulation computer, the researchers say that a facade of a building with a panel that controls near infrared light would save 25% energywhile a second panel would trigger savings up to fifty%. Ben Hatton, co-author of the study, adds:
The idea of a building that can learn, that can adjust to optimize for the season and daily changes in solar conditions, is very exciting to us. We are also working on how to effectively scale up to really cover a building. We believe that creating smart materials for buildings is a challenge that deserves more attention.