Active camouflage Active camouflage or adaptive camouflage is camouflage that adapts , often rapidly , to the surroundings of an object such as an animal or military vehicle . In theory , active camouflage could provide perfect concealment from visual detection . Active camouflage is used in several groups of animals , including reptiles on land , and cephalopod mollusc s and flatfish in the sea . Animals achieve active camouflage both by color change and ( among marine animals ) by counterillumination . Military counterillumination camouflage was first investigated during World War II for marine use . More recent research has aimed to achieve crypsis by using cameras to sense the visible background , and by controlling panels or coatings that can vary their appearance . Definition . Active camouflage provides concealment in two ways : Active camouflage has its origins in the diffused lighting camouflage first tested on Canadian Navy corvettes including HMCS Rimouski during World War II , and later in the armed forces of the United States of America in the Yehudi lights project , and of the United Kingdom . In research . Current systems began with a United States Air Force program which placed low - intensity blue lights on aircraft as counterillumination camouflage . As night skies are not pitch black , a 100 percent black - colored aircraft might be rendered visible . By emitting a small amount of blue light , the aircraft blends more effectively into the night sky . Active camouflage may now develop using organic light - emitting diode s ( OLEDs ) and other technologies which allow for images to be projected onto irregularly shaped surfaces . Using visual data from a camera , an object could perhaps be camouflaged well enough to avoid detection by the human eye and optical sensors when stationary . Camouflage is weakened by motion , but active camouflage could still make moving targets more difficult to see . However , active camouflage works best in one direction at a time , requiring knowledge of the relative positions of the observer and the concealed object . Active camouflage technology exists only in theory and proof - of - concept prototypes . In 2003 researchers at the University of Tokyo under Susumu Tachi created a prototype active camouflage system in which a video camera images the background and displays it on a cloth using an external projector . Phased array optics ( PAO ) would implement active camouflage , not by producing a two - dimensional image of background scenery on an object , but by computational holography to produce a three - dimensional hologram of background scenery on an object to be concealed . Unlike a two - dimensional image , the holographic image would appear to be the actual scenery behind the object independent of viewer distance or view angle . In 2011 , BAE Systems announced their " Adaptiv " infrared camouflage technology . It uses about 1000 hexagonal panels to cover the sides of a tank . The panels are rapidly heated and cooled to match either the temperature of the vehicle ' s surroundings , or one of the objects in the thermal cloaking system ' s " library " such as a truck , car or large rock . In animals . Active camouflage is present in several groups of animals including cephalopod molluscs , fish , and reptiles . There are two mechanisms of active camouflage in animals : counterillumination camouflage , and color change . Counterillumination camouflage is the production of light to blend in against a lit background . In the sea , light comes down from the surface , so when marine animals are seen from below , they appear darker than the background . Some species of cephalopod , such as " Abralia veranyi " and " Watasenia scintillans " , produce light in photophores on their undersides to match the background . Bioluminescence is common among marine animals , so counterillumination camouflage may be widespread , though light has other functions , including attracting prey and signalling . Color change permits camouflage against different backgrounds . Many cephalopods including octopus es , cuttlefish , and squid s , and some terrestrial reptiles including chameleon s and anole s can rapidly change color and pattern , though the major reasons for this include signalling , not only camouflage . Active camouflage is also used by many bottom - living flatfish such as plaice , sole , and flounder that actively copy the patterns and colors of the seafloor below them . For example , the tropical flounder " Bothus ocellatus " can match its pattern to " a wide range of background textures " in 2 – 8 seconds .