India, Oct. 17 -- Native Americans hid in buffalo hides and feathers as they stalked their prey. Irish hunters covered themselves in branches. As much as 48,000 years ago, a cave painting in Indonesia shows, hunters wore animal skins and masks as camouflage.

Thousands of years later, the trick would be used in war.

Julius Caesar, invading Britain in the 1st century BCE, reportedly used Venetian blue to coat ships, so they could scout without being too noticeable.

Across millennia, the materials and methods have changed. These are now evolving beyond physical patterns, to embrace advanced materials and smart textiles so that they can account for drones, military VR headsets and smart surveillance systems too. Take a look.

HOW IT STARTE...