Researchers from the University of Tokyo developed a living robot skin from human skin cells. This icky-looking substance is water repellent, self-healing, and has a texture just like our skin.
The team created the skin by dipping the robotic structure into a solution of collagen and dermal fibroblast – cells that produce the proteins that form our skin’s structural pattern. They then coated this layer with epidermal cells, the main component of our outermost skin layer. Without this extra coating, the material would lack water repellence, making it hard to manipulate the finger.
While the robotic skin is weaker than human skin, it can handle repeated finger movements, like stretching and contracting. It can also self-heal with a collagen bandage.
Even with a lot of improvement needed to be done, this innovation brings us closer to having human-looking robots.
Are you excited about this technology?