The unique characteristic of biological coloration in nature provides inspiration for engineering. Electro-active polymer is a kind of soft smart material with electric field responsive deformation. It is flexible and its deformation process is similar to that of biological muscle, which is recognized as an ideal artificial muscle material. Therefore, the electrochromic technology based on electro-active polymers that has a biological characteristic close to living things is suitable for the application to complex structures, so as to provide a new direction for the development of next-generation camouflage technology. Firstly, this paper introduces the mechanism of color change in nature, stating the differences in chameleon and cephalopod. The limitations of the existing technology are summarized in terms of inconvenience in actuation and lack of flexibility. Then the paper introduces the mechanism of electrically induced deformation of electroactive polymer, analyzes the advances in electro-active polymer actuated color change, and compares the current technical characteristics. Moreover,the challenges in current research are pointed out as well. The application of this technique may promote the development of military camouflage which features the next generation of tri-co robot in environmental visual compatibility.

electro-active polymer  /  biomimetic coloration  /  military camouflage  /  tri-co robot