Squid skin inspires novel “liquid windows” for greater energy savings

Enlarge / Artist's impression of a "liquid window' prototype inspired by the structure of squid skin. (credit: Raphael Kay, Adrian So)

Squid and several other cephalopods can rapidly shift the colors in their skin, thanks to that skin's unique structure. Engineers at the University of Toronto have drawn inspiration from the squid to create a prototype for "liquid windows" that can shift the wavelength, intensity, and distribution of light transmitted through those windows, thereby saving substantially on energy costs.