Japan holds the key to the next evolution of robots: wrapping them in human skin

Although they are still impressive and each new video is more spectacular than the last, the Boston Dynamics robots no longer impress. At least, as much as before. There are those who are looking to a future led by less conspicuous, but more versatile robots: humanoid robots. This is where Elon Musk’s Optimus or the impressive Figure 01 come into play, the problem is that we continue to see them as robots. But… what if realistic skin were achieved for these robots?

Shoji Takeuchi is a researcher at the University of Tokyo who is committed to creating ultra-realistic robots with skin similar to that of humans. And his latest creation could revolutionize the field of aesthetics in these machines, as well as research in fields such as medicine or aesthetics.

Living Skin. Takeuchi is a researcher in biohybrid systems who has spent years researching how to add elements of living tissue inside robots. One of his achievements was the integration of ‘living’ muscles into robots to ensure that, for example, their joints have movements similar to those of a human.

Going a little further, there is an obsession with improving synthetic and cultured skin to make these robots more like us. The same University of Tokyo presented an artificial skin with thermal and pressure sensors for robots about 20 years ago, which has been perfected over the years with synthetic skin capable of feeling pressure and pain.

Improving the connection. During one of the university’s latest studies focused on designing 3D flesh with the ability to self-heal (some other centers are investigating this as well), Takeuchi and his team realized they could take the capabilities of synthetic skin one step further. “While researching finger-sized robots covered with cultured skin in our lab, I realized the need to create better adhesion between the physical features of the robot and the subcutaneous structure of the skin.”

Until now, the way to attach this fabric to the solid surface of the robot involved very small hook-like elements that greatly limited the movements the robot could make. The problem was that, if sudden movements were made or movements were made greater than the elasticity of the anchor point allowed, the skin would tear.

They are like us. The solution? Look at our own relationships. Human skin is made up of several layers such as the epidermis, dermis, adipose tissue, and all of these are connected to muscles with a series of ligaments. Inspired by this structure, Takeuchi’s team has developed a system of ‘V’ anchors that connect the robotic structure to collagen-based synthetic skin.

In this way, “the skin’s natural elasticity and strong adhesion means that the skin can move along the robot’s mechanical components without tearing or peeling,” says Shoji. This would allow the skin to be applied to practically any surface and the trick is to use collagen gel for adhesion. This gel is sticky, so the team used a plasma that attracts the gel to the microscopic pores of the anchor. This is a way to keep the collagen in place and ensure that the skin’s effect on the robotic surface is optimal.

Beyond aesthetics. The result is a skin tissue that can be applied to solid structures without deforming, on complex, curved and moving surfaces in both 2D and 3D. The smiling face they have created is an example and the researchers do not hide that it is a way to create robots with a more human appearance (although that smiling face is a bit frightening), but the practical applications are more interesting.

For example, Takeuchi’s team has in mind that this advancement could be applied to prosthetic limbs. In this way, the beauty and pharmaceutical industries could research skin aging, surgical procedures, plastic surgery or cosmetics. Another advancement would be the integration of sensors that would give robots rich interactive capabilities.

The problem of staining. Now, the problem is that skin is exposed to a lot of agents that damage it. Not so much of a problem in humans, because the cells responsible for repair are incredibly good at their job, but with synthetic skin it’s more complicated. Takeuchi admits that self-healing is a big problem and that some materials can be made to heal themselves, but they require a trigger such as heat, pressure or an electrical impulse.

Also, they don’t have healing cells like we do. Your biological skin is capable of repairing small cuts and nerves can be connected to detect areas where ruptures have occurred, but it is clear that this healing is a problem that must be solved.

They are not conforming. Now, although it may seem impressive to see that tiny, sinister smiling face in a more realistic way than the faces seen so far, Takeuchi and his team don’t plan to stop there. “In this research, we identified new challenges, such as the need to introduce superficial wrinkles and a thicker epidermis to achieve a more human appearance. We believe that thicker skin can be achieved by incorporating sweat glands, sebaceous glands, pores, blood vessels, fat and nerves,” says Shoji.

Well, their goal is to create a skin that is an exact copy of human skin and who knows if this could be a step towards getting artificial skin that can be applied to humans who have suffered injuries. At the moment, this is not something that Takeuchi has said, but their goal is to get robots with more realistic movements and expressions through sophisticated muscle systems, with the ability to heal themselves, accurately sense their surroundings and perform human tasks efficiently.

Images and video | Elsevier

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