Tokyo, June 27 (EFE).- Japanese researchers have developed a facial robot with “living” skin made from human cells that provides it with biological texture and functionalities.
The device is expected to explain the process of wrinkle formation and reduce the use of animal testing in cosmetics and drug development.
The research team led by industrial mechanics professor Shoji Takeuchi from the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo used cells and an extracellular matrix to create the coating equivalent to the dermis.
The researchers developed a unique structure mimicking how muscle movement is transmitted to the skin, allowing the robot to smile.
Most current humanoid robots use soft silicone rubber to emulate the softness of human skin.
But, to make the facial robot more human-like, the team cultured “living” human skin cells and created facial skin approximately 2 millimeters thick and 25 mm in diameter, with a dermal layer and an epidermal layer.
The conventional method of attaching such tissues to artificial objects, such as a robot’s face, is to hook them onto protrusions, but this method makes them look artificial and move awkwardly.
Japanese researchers developed a new mechanism that attaches living tissue by inserting it into holes drilled in the robot’s surface.
It enables the robotic face to move smoothly, making it more fluid and natural.
The skin they have developed has “the potential to be an ideal covering material for robots due to its biological functionalities,” the team explains in the study, published Wednesday in the open access journal Cell Reports Physical Science.
Researchers hoped it would contribute to “advancements in biohybrid robotics.”
“One particularly noteworthy aspect of this method is its ability to endow robots with the self-healing capabilities inherent in biological skin,” especially useful humanoid robots that require humanlike capabilities to operate in unpredictable and complex environments.
“A particularly notable aspect of this method is its ability to provide robots with self-healing capabilities inherent to biological skin (…) for humanoid robots that require human-like capabilities to operate in unpredictable and complex environments,” he explained.
“In unpredictable environments, minor scratches and damages that robot skin inevitably incurs can escalate into serious impairments if left unattended. Therefore, the capacity for self-repair becomes a critical feature for humanoid robots,” the Japanese scientists said in the study.
The team has also developed a finger-shaped robot covered with similar skin and hopes to continue researching.
“In the future, we would like to integrate the skin with functions such as nerves and blood vessels with a robot that moves using muscles made from muscle cells to make it more human-like,” professor Takeuchi told the Mainichi newspaper. EFE
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