Dynamic camouflage

The alteration of ships silhouettes to render them unrecognisable, a tactic known as dynamic camouflage, was another technique widely used by the combatants of both World Wars. Apart from the addition or subtraction of funnels, a particularly ingenious trick was to create the effect of a symmetrical, double-ended vessel, with navigation bridges and... 

The majority of these auxiliaries, as navy ships, were camouflaged in naval schemes. Many of them were also treated with a measure of dynamic camouflage in order to make identification difficult. A string of British ships had one or more of their funnels removed to alter their i)rofile, among them the Queen of Bertnuda, Alcantara and Asturias, the Corfu, Chitral and other units of P O s R and S classes. The Cathay, for a while, sported only one and a half funnels. 

It is to be noted however that these textiles remain static, passive (unswitchable, non--dynamic) camouflage materials. Applications for such textiles have also been claimed in ESD/antistatic coatings for industrial belts, e.g. in coalmines, and personnel uniforms, e.g. for explosion-proofness. 

In conclusion, we have demonstrated the largest dynamic IR and thermal signature variations in any material, to our knowledge. Actual applications in a spacecraft mission (launch 2004) and in military camouflage are presented. 

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