By Rahul Somvanshi

Human Emotions, Robot Faces: New Study Reveals Self-Healing Skin on Robots 

Using living human cells, researchers at Harvard and the University of Tokyo have developed a novel technique for producing artificial skin that grins.

Photo credit: ars technica

Photo credit: ars technica

This breakthrough blurs the distinction between human and machine by enabling robots to express emotions through a layer of pink, live tissue that is capable of self-healing.

Photo credit: ars technica

Inspired by the way human skin clings to our muscles, the technology uses "perforation-type anchors" to allow the skin to securely attach to robotic components.

Photo credit: ars technica

A tiny, palm-sized robotic face that can realistically grin was used in the study's proof of concept to show off the skin's dynamic capabilities.

Photo credit:  ars technica

This artificial skin was created utilising human skin cells that were obtained from anonymous donors and cultivated from commercially accessible human skin cells without causing any damage to humans.

Photo credit: ars technica

The skin is nourished with a specialised growth media, replenished every two days to preserve cell viability, in order to support the live tissue.

Photo credit: ars technica

This skin technology has potential applications beyond robotics, such as improving reconstructive surgery and cosmetic tests by eliminating the need for human test subjects.

Photo credit: ars technica

Expression lines have formed on the robotic face as a result of constant actuation, imitating the ageing process of human skin.

Photo credit: ars technica

The next steps towards making robots more lifelike include the development of sensory capacities and longer skin lifespans, however these are still in the early stages.

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