Japanese Scientists Develop Self-Healing, Realistic Skin for Robots

Scientists at Tokyo University have developed a method to graft living skin onto robot faces, making their expressions more human-like than ever.

The researchers from the University of Tokyo, Japan, believe their breakthrough could one day be “useful in the cosmetics industry and to help train plastic surgeons,” according to a statement announcing the development.

The artificial skin is flexible, and can feel like actual skin; if the skin is sliced, the substance will regenerate, which has been a major problem with earlier efforts to merge live skin with robots. The researchers utilized the “skin-forming cell-laden gel” to develop a “robot equipped with skin tissue,” according to the researchers’ study published in the Cell Reports Physical Science journal.

This method not only ensures the skin adheres well and remains flexible but also maintains the robot’s smooth appearance. This advancement could significantly benefit fields like cosmetics and plastic surgery training.

To begin with, the team made mini hooks to attach to the skin, as seen in the picture, but this failed because it would remove the skin. To solve this problem, they drew upon the example of human skin and bones, which are fastened with flexible bands of connective tissue called collagen and elastin. They made several small holes on the surface of the robot before they placed a collagen solution that was augmented with gel and covered with artificial skin. This helped the skin not to rip off instantly each time the mechanical parts were in motion independently of it.

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The new material might mean the abandonment of what scientists and engineers used to refer to as humanoid robots that are covered with realistic skin skin which is usually made of silicone rubber but which cannot perspire or regenerate itself. The scientists whose aim is to create skin-like material for robots that have ‘life-like’ features say that repair tests similar to the one described above, on their smiling robotic skin, “are a future work.”

To achieve the natural-looking smile, that was required to look almost effortless and free-flowing, they treated the skin, mimicking the skin tissue, and then placed it inside the holes on the robot using gelatinization techniques, which are quite similar to how the skin ligaments work in the human body. Although this technology has the potential to solve some of the challenges, it will require several years more to turn into real-world applications.

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Shoji Takeuchi said, “We also hope this will help shed better light on wrinkle formations and the physiology of facial expressions. We believe that creating thicker and more realistic skin can be achieved by incorporating sweat glands, sebaceous glands, pores, blood vessels, fat, and nerves. Of course, movement is also a crucial factor, not just the material, so another important challenge is creating humanlike expressions by integrating sophisticated actuators, or muscles, inside the robot.”  He added, “Creating robots that can heal themselves, sense their environment more accurately, and perform tasks with human-like dexterity is incredibly motivating.”.

Challenges

The natural flexibility of the skin and its strong adhesion to the robot make it so that the skin can move without peeling or tearing. The researchers used collagen for adhesion and plasma treatment to move the collagen into the perforations of the robots’ mechanics. With this method, the skin can be added to any surface. However, the team notes that this method is much harder than people might think because bacteria can enter the skin and the tissue can die.

The researchers created both a 2D model and a 3D model with a more human-like head shape. The next challenge is making the skin thicker and adding features like wrinkles to make it more human-like. These human-like living skin robots could be used in medical research, such as drug development, skin ageing, cosmetics research, and plastic surgeon training.

This breakthrough has overcome the previous challenges that scientists faced and has opened up a new world of possibilities for the use of biohybrid robots in various fields of study.

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