Robots With Healing Skin: Tokyo And Harvard Scientists Break New Ground
For years, robots have been designed with human-like exteriors, but now researchers at the University of Tokyo and Harvard have taken it a step further by developing living skin for robots. The experiment, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, explores how living tissue could be attached to a robot's mechanical foundation.
The team aimed to create a version of the ligament network found in humans and animals that allows skin to cling closely to an artificial substrate without tearing or unintended distortion. Their "dermis equivalent" is not intended to be realistic or beautiful but demonstrates a potential method for attaching living tissue to robotic structures.
Although the concept may bring to mind the Terminator T-100 model, skin-covered robots could have various practical applications beyond infiltrating humanity's past. Cultured skin can heal itself, carry biological sensors for sensitive touch, and potentially benefit medical or human interaction contexts. The paper presents a working method for attachment and manipulation that could be used on or as a robot's face. However, this technology is not expected to appear in everyday smart home hubs or vacuums anytime soon.
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