Tiny Tech 48: The Cozy Desert Chameleon

Today from the world of Tiny Tech:

What’s warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot? One surprising answer is the Namibian chameleon! This chameleon can control how much sunlight it absorbs by changing its skin color: it turns nearly black when it wants to warm up, and light colored when it wants to cool down. This change in skin color helps keep the chameleon comfortable in its native desert habitat.

Scientists took inspiration from the chameleon’s skin to investigate new methods to keep our homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They took a certain chemical mixture that changes color in response to temperature, and used it to formulate a new kind of roof coating. When it’s hot outside, the coating turns white and reflects most of the sun’s energy, thus keeping it cooler inside the house. When it’s cold outside, the coating darkens to absorb more sunlight, thus keeping it warmer inside. This experimental coating retains its effectiveness even after hundreds of thermal cycles.

They say leopards can’t change their spots, but chameleons can … and maybe someday our homes will too. That’s a hot idea that sounds pretty cool to me.

Tiny Tech is made possible by the National Science Foundation and WUFT. To learn more about Tiny Tech, go to tinytechradio.org.

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