Japanese scientists from the University of Tokyo have developed a robotic finger covered in human-looking skin… A “living” skin, which combines human characteristics.
Among other things, the synthetic skin can regenerate itself in case of injury, it is water resistant and forms small wrinkles when it bends. In short, a human appearance that almost gives goosebumps.
A major success for robotics
If it seems in every way alive, it took innovation to create this skin. The scientists immersed the mechanical finger in a bath of collagen mixed with human fibroblast cells. Next, they then immersed it in a bath of keratinocyte epidermal cells, while twisting the finger to create fine lines under the knuckles. Note that if it is damaged, the skin can repair itself, like healing in humans, with the help of a collagen bandage.
The current major problem is that the skin constantly needs to be hydrated, in the absence of a circulation system to supply its cells. But scientists are celebrating the success of this first step, because one of the biggest challenges so far was to succeed in stretching the skin on an object so that it perfectly matches its shape.
Multiple uses
Eventually, the scientific team from the University of Tokyo would like to create a humanoid robot completely covered with this synthetic skin. The goal is to bring the appearance of robots closer to that of humans. But the objective is also to enable them to hold jobs in the hospital environment or the service sector, where their human appearance will allow them to establish a more personal connection with their interlocutors.
However, scientists believe that the combination of these human characteristics and the mechanics of the finger can generate an effect called “valley of the uncanny”. This phenomenon describes a feeling of unease in humans confronted with a human-looking robot: the more the robot seems human, the more its mechanical characteristics disturb us. For the moment, it is first a question of making the skin more sophisticated: giving it sensory capacities, a circulation network, sweat glands or even hair.
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Source : The Guardian
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