22/10/2019
Press

Intelligent camouflage, Neanderthal tools, genome editing… The latest advances in science. The pigments developed by OliKrom change their appearance according to temperature, luminosity or pressure…

 

Intelligent camouflage… The latest advances in science

Less intense black, more geometric shapes… The new camouflage for French armored vehicles – presented on October 10 – promises to be ten times more effective than the old one. But this is not yet enough for the army, which is continuing its search for sophisticated coatings capable of adapting themselves to their environment. Armaments manufacturer Nexter is working on pixel tiles whose hues are automatically generated by a system of sensors and algorithms.

The army is also interested in intelligent pigments manufactured by the Bordeaux-based company OliKrom. These substances, which can be incorporated into paint or ink, change color according to light, pressure, temperature. “We reproduce changes of state and chemical reactions observed in nature. We reproduce changes of state and chemical reactions observed in nature. There’s nothing magical about it”, explains Jean-François Letard, the company’s CEO.

This science, which mobilizes photochemists and experts in thermodynamics, does not offer a range of colors as wide as a television screen, but its applications on the battlefield are numerous.

In addition to providing effective camouflage for soldiers and vehicles, OliKrom pigments change color under the effect of a laser. They can therefore be used to distinguish between friendly and enemy troops. They could also help identify micro-cracks in body armor or vehicle bodywork. By changing their appearance, they could warn soldiers who have been exposed to toxic substances. Finally, if used as a spray, they could serve as a target or landing marker for a drone… Nothing has yet been deployed in the field,” points out Jean-François Letard. All OliKrom has to do now is put its grey matter to work.

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