A research team in South Korea has developed a soft robot named Octoid that can mimic the movement and behavior of an octopus in its natural habitat. The robot’s «triple-in-one» system enables it to shift colors, move and capture prey in a way that is fascinatingly similar to the aquatic animal.

While the scientific world has been working on modeling robots after octopuses for over a decade, this is the first time scientists have been able to combine the way an octopus moves and camouflages itself into a single robot.

Octoid was built by researchers from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, led by a scientist named Dae-Yoon Kim. 

«We aim to expand this technology into the development of intelligent soft machines, such as self-aware, reflexive, and learning-based soft robots,» Kim said in a statement on Thursday. 

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Colorful crystals

The core material used for Octoid is called photonic crystal polymer. It’s a nanostructured material that can do interesting things when light passes through it. By separating and reflecting specific wavelengths of light, this type of polymer can display brilliant colors within its structure. 

Today, photonic crystal polymers have many real-world applications, like high-tech sensors, remote communication and optical computing. But using this material to make soft robots is still a fairly new and emerging field within robotics. 

The researchers used the polymers to give the robot a special structure that has the ability to move in a soft and flexible way while it changes colors. The team was able to control the robot using electrical signals that created microscopic contraction and expansion, which made Octoid change from blue to green to red.

Aquatic robotics

The octopus has a unique body that has interested scientists for years. We’ve seen robots that move like the tentacles of an octopus from a variety of labs and companies. It’s not only octopuses, either; sea creatures seem to capture the imagination of roboticists all over the world. 

The team behind Octoid says the robot showcases new possibilities for biomimetic soft robotics technology. They say that the tech displayed in Octoid’s body has the potential to help in industries like deep-sea rescue, marine ecology monitoring, and hospital robots to help people reach farther, as well as military applications.

«Through this research, we have secured materials for soft robots that can be applied to various fields, including autonomous adaptive robots, military camouflage systems, marine exploration robots and medical micro-robots,» Kim said. 

The paper was originally published on Oct. 15, 2025, in Advanced Functional Materials.