Japanese scientists develop facial robot with ‘living’ skin made from human cells

Japanese researchers have developed a Face-like robot with ‘living’ skin is composed of human cells that give it biological functionality and expression, which may contribute to Study of wrinkle formation Or reducing the use of animals in testing cosmetics and medicines.

The team was led by industrial mechanics professor Shoji Takeuchi Institute of Industrial Science, University of TokyoThey used cells and extracellular matrix to create a covering equivalent to the dermis and also managed to develop a unique structure to attach that skin to the robot that mimics human ligaments, allowing it to smile.

Most current humanoid robots use silicone rubber to simulate the softness of human skin, but the Japanese team has used silicone rubber to make the surface of their robot more human-like. Human skin cells grown and ‘living’ skin createdAbout 2 millimeters thick and 25 millimeters in diameter, with one layer of dermis and the other of epidermis.

The traditional method of attaching tissues to prosthetic objects, such as robot faces, is to hook them onto protrusions, but this makes their expressions awkward when they move.

Japanese researchers have developed a mechanism that attaches tissue to holes on the surface of a robot, Inspired by the structure of human ligamentsAllows movements to be more fluid and natural.

In a study published Wednesday in the open access journal Cell Reports Physical Science, the team reports that the skin they developed “has the potential to become an ideal covering material for robots due to its biological functionality,” and they hope that it will be used to protect their skin. “Contribute to advances in biohybrid robotics”,

“A particularly noteworthy aspect of this method is its ability to provide robots with the self-healing capabilities inherent in biological skin,” especially useful “for humanoid robots that require human-like abilities to operate in unpredictable and complex environments,” he explains.

“In unpredictable environments, small scratches and damage that inevitably occur on a robot’s skin can turn into serious damage if not taken care of. Therefore, Self-healing ability “This becomes an important feature of humanoid robots,” the Japanese scientists said in the study.

The team has already built a finger-sized robot covered in similar skin and hopes to continue researching it.

“in future, We would like to integrate the skin with functions like nerves and blood vessels in a robot that moves using muscles made from muscle cells to make it more human-like,” Professor Takeuchi told the Mainichi newspaper.