Tokyo University researchers claim that their accomplishment was made possible by accurately replicating human tissue architecture.
It’s possible that the prototype looks more Haribo than human.
However, the researchers claim that it opens the door to the creation of believable, movable humanoids with skin that can mend itself and is resistant to tearing.
Living cells are used in the lab to create the fake skin.
According to the experts, not only is it soft, just like actual skin, but it can also mend itself if cut.
However, previous attempts to attach it were unsuccessful.
The scientists attempted to use tiny hooks as anchors, but when the robot moved, those broke the skin.
In humans, ligaments—tiny ropes made of flexible collagen and elastane—tether the skin to underlying structures.
In order to replicate it, the scientists made numerous tiny holes in the robot, applied a collagen-containing gel, and then covered it with an artificial skin layer.
The skin is attached to the robot and the perforations are sealed with gel.
“By mimicking human skin-ligament structures and by using specially made V-shaped perforations in solid materials, we found a way to bind skin to complex structures,” Prof. Shoji Takeuchi, the lead researcher, said.
“The natural flexibility of the skin and the strong method of adhesion mean the skin can move with the mechanical components of the robot, without tearing or peeling away.”
