Technology
Self-healing 'living skin' can make robots more humanlike — and it looks just as creepy as you'd expect
Robots of the future could be wrapped in lifelike skin that can repair itself, in a similar way to the way human skin heals, thanks to a novel approach involving cultured skin cells.
The skin will also appear more lifelike thanks to a new way of attaching it to the robot's skeleton as well the fact that it can repair any cuts or scrapes by itself — researchers said. They published their findings June 25 in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.
Artificial skin has long been touted as a way to make robots appear more human-like — and cultured skin appears more lifelike than synthetic materials such as latex. But without the right kind of adhesive approach, artificial skin can sag off a robot's frame in a visually disturbing manner.
Related link: Watch Boston Dynamics' newest Atlas robot wake up in the creepiest way possible
Robotics researchers have previously tried to solve the problem of artificial skin sagging off the metallic frame by pinning it down with "anchors", hooked or mushroom-shaped structures. This prevents the skin from shifting around atop the robot’s frame, but the adhesive structures can stick out as lumps under the skin — compromising its human-like appearance.
In the new study, researchers pioneered a method whereby the robot's skeleton contains tiny holes into which the artificially grown skin can extend v-shaped hooks known as "perforation-type anchors". These keep the artificial skin stuck to the robot while maintaining a smooth and flexible surface.
Making robotic skin more lifelike
The artificial skin is layered on top of a robot treated with a water-vapor plasma to make it hydrophilic — in other words, to ensure that liquids are attracted to the surface. This means the cultured skin's gel is pulled deeper into the holes to cling more closely to the surface of the robot.
-
Technology7h ago
Meta to restrict news content from Facebook in Australia
-
Technology17h ago
The science behind splashdown − an aerospace engineer explains how NASA and SpaceX get spacecraft safely back on Earth
-
Technology17h ago
Lucy, discovered 50 years ago in Ethiopia, stood just 3.5 feet tall − but she still towers over our understanding of human origins
-
Technology19h ago
Boeing plans high-level briefing with European regulators following 737 MAX panel incident
-
Technology1d ago
WhatsApp will no longer work on these iPhone, android devices this year
-
Technology1d ago
AI tops World Economic Forum's list of top 10 emerging technologies of 2024
-
Technology1d ago
$75 million in federal funds flow into Colorado Springs to expand computer chip manufacturing
-
Technology1d ago
Shooting at Grocery Store in South Arkansas Kills Two and Wounds Six Others