In a groundbreaking development that isn't at all creepy, scientists have devised a way to attach living human skin to a robot's face. The technology could actually have some valuable applications, in addition to creating: Westworld– The same scenario becomes reality.
Two years ago, Professor Shoji Takeuchi and colleagues at the University of Tokyo successfully covered motorized robotic fingers with bionic skin made from living human cells.
It was hoped that this proof-of-concept activity could pave the way for more life-like android-like robots, as well as robots with self-healing, touch-sensitive coverings. This technology can also be used for cosmetic testing and training of plastic surgeons.
![Professor Shoji Takeuchi's robotic finger covered in skin that can bend without damaging the skin](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/c01d711/2147483647/strip/true/crop/988x666+0+0/resize/988x666!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F19%2F3f%2F44993cd34ba5b2c3e589b5ab5ef2%2Ffigure-5b.png)
©2022 Takeuchi et al.
The skin-covered fingers were certainly an impressive achievement, but the skin wasn't connected to the native fingers in any way. It was basically a constricted flap that wrapped around the finger. In contrast, natural human facial skin is connected to the underlying muscle tissue by ligaments composed of connective tissue.
Above all, this arrangement allows us to express a variety of facial expressions. Moreover, while moving with The underlying tissues do not bunch up and impede facial movement. For the same reason, they are less likely to be damaged by external objects.
Scientists have previously attempted to connect bioengineered skin to synthetic surfaces, usually via small anchors that protrude upward. from its surface. However, these pocky anchors can damage the appearance of your skin, making it look less smooth. They also don't work well on concave surfaces that are all oriented toward the center.
With these limitations in mind, Takeuchi and his team recently developed a novel skin fixation system based on small V-shaped perforations made in a synthetic surface.
![This diagram shows the similarities between native cutaneous ligaments and V-shaped perforations.](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/eb93b39/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2107x1584+0+0/resize/1277x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2F4a%2F074d13534828891ea0f8d542bdf9%2Fimage-1.jpeg)
©2024 Takeuchi et al. CC-BY-ND
Scientists created a human face mold incorporating this array of perforations, then coated the mold with a gel composed of collagen and human skin fibroblasts. The latter are cells that produce connective tissue in the skin.
Some of the gel flowed out into the perforations and the rest stayed on the mold surface. After 7 days of incubation, the gel formed into a human skin flap that was firmly anchored in the mold through the tissue within the perforation.
In the second experiment, perforations were made in a silicone rubber substrate, then gel was applied and incubated. The end result was a simplified human skin face that could smile by moving two rods connected to a substrate.
![Skin-covered face model (left) and simplified smiley face model](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/33b960d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5156x2801+0+0/resize/1440x782!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F75%2F3c%2F51d4f0ed4dd98c1f01b151854b75%2Fimage-3.jpeg)
©2024 Takeuchi et al. CC-BY-ND
Needless to say, some work still needs to be done before this technology can be utilized in realistic robots.
“We believe that by integrating sweat glands, sebaceous glands, pores, blood vessels, fat and nerves, we can create thicker, more realistic skin,” says Takeuchi. “Of course, not only the material but also the movement is an important factor. Therefore, another important challenge is to integrate sophisticated actuators, or muscles, inside the robot to create human-like expressions.”
A paper on the study was recently published in the journal. cell report physical science.
Source: University of Tokyo