Overview
- The method translates images or textures into binary dot fields printed into a single hydrogel film, directing regional swelling, softening and deformation.
- In lab tests, an encoded Mona Lisa disappeared after an ethanol wash and reappeared in ice water or during gradual heating.
- Hidden patterns were also recoverable through gentle stretching analyzed with digital image correlation, enabling a mechanical decryption mode.
- Co-designed films revealed images as flat sheets morphed into dome-like 3D shapes, coordinating appearance with shape change.
- The study appears in Nature Communications and points to future platforms for adaptive camouflage, encryption, soft robotics and biomedical devices.