A robotic finger covered in living skin has been developed by Japanese scientists.
The ability of the finger to heal itself is seen as an impressive technical feat that blurs the line between living and machines. Scientists were not sure if people would like it or not.
Shoji Takeuchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo, said that they were surprised by how well the skin tissue conformed to the robot. This work is the first step in the creation of living skin-covered robots.
The team believes that more realistic humanoids would be able to interact with people in a variety of roles.
It is my opinion that living skin is the ultimate solution to give robots the look and touch of living creatures. He said that the advances could build a new relationship between humans and machines.
Scientists have been able to create sheets of skin that can be used in surgery, but they have not been able to create living skin on three-dimensional objects.
In the latest work, the team first submerged the robotic finger in a cylinder filled with a solution of collagen and human fibroblasts. These coated the surface like a paint primer and provided a seamless layer for the next coat of cells. The scientists said that bending the finger back and forth caused natural-lookingwrinkles to develop on the knuckles and that the skin could self-heal with the help of aCollagen bandage.
The finger's skin is weak and needs to be kept moist in order to keep the cells alive. It's movements are mechanical.
Takeuchi said that the finger looked sweaty. It is interesting to hear the clicking sounds of the motor in harmony with a finger that looks like a real one since the finger is driven by an electric motor.
It is a combination of very realistic and mechanical that can cause a sense of revulsion.
Dr Burcu rgen, of Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, said: "It is possible that the human-like appearance of somerobots induce certain expectations but when they do not meet those expectations, they are found eerie or petri dish."
Prof Grabenhorst is a neuroscientist at the University of Oxford who studies the so-called uncanny valley effect.
He agreed that people might have a negative reaction to the mixture of human and robot features, but said research showed that this reaction could change depending on interactions with a robot. Positive experiences might help people overcome their feelings.
The team wants to incorporate more sophisticated functional structures within the skin. The robotic face is covered in skin. The journal Matter describes the advancement.
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