Robots with human skin
Scientists use sheets of living cells
SCIENTISTS have grafted living human skin on to a robot’s finger – bringing science fiction one step closer to reality.
Professors at the University of Tokyo covered the digit in a specially grown sheet of human skin cells as part of a project to make robots look as lifelike as possible.
The robotic finger not only has a skin-like texture, but is also water-repellent and selfhealing. In the healthcare and service industries, looking as much like a real human as possible is key for makers of humanoid robots – just like Alicia Vikander’s character Ava in the 2014 science fiction movie Ex Machina. This can improve communication and make the machines more likeable, researchers say.
Although current silicone skin can imitate a human appearance, it does not have finer details like wrinkles, and cannot perform like human skin. But one of the difficulties of using living skin sheets is fitting them to moving objects with uneven surfaces.
Study author Shoji Takeuchi, from the University of Tokyo, said: ‘With that method, you have to have the hands of a skilled artisan who can cut and tailor the skin sheets.’
To craft the skin, the team submerged the robotic finger in a cylinder filled with a solution of collagen and human dermal fibroblasts – the two main components that make up skin’s connective tissues.
This layer provides a foundation for the next coat of human cells to stick to. The crafted skin is stretchy enough to move with the finger, repels water and can even self-heal with the help of a collagen bandage.
However, it is much weaker than natural skin and cannot survive long without a constant nutrient supply and waste removal.
Professor Takeuchi said: ‘I think living skin is the ultimate solution to give robots the look and touch of living creatures.’ The study is published in the journal Matter.