Japanese Scientists Develop Robots With Living Human Skin That Can Smile Naturally

 

Japanese scientists have made a breakthrough that has bridged the gap between a human and a machine by managing to stick the living human skin cells on the face of a robot enabling it to smile naturally in the first time of its life.

The Technology of the Human-Skin Robot.

This was done by scientists at the University of Tokyo who cultured human skin cells in vitro and implanted them to a robotic face. The bioreactor has the capability to replicate natural facial expressions, repair and stretch its living skin.

The aim of the project was not simply to make robots look like human beings but to assist them to behave more like humans thus enhancing the interaction between humans and machines.

What is the point in making robots with living skin?

Robots that resemble humans are necessary in areas such as healthcare, care giving and emotional support. When robots are able to smile, show empathy, or make minor facial expressions, humans feel better about them.

The lifelike skin allows the robots to be warm and realistic to the touch in a way not possible with the silicone faces that it uses. According to scientists this technology would help make the robots approachable and emotionally intelligent.

How the Living Skin Works

The scientists combined human dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes - the same cells that exist in human skin. They were cultivated in a gel medium in the form of a flexible sheet that is connected to the face of the robot.

They have tiny anchors which resemble the form of human ligaments, which lets the skin move as the robot smiles or frowns.

The Place of AI and Robotics in the Process.

Artificial intelligence has become very essential in the harmonisation of muscle movements with facial expressions. The algorithms of AI are examined on human smiles, and the robot is trained to imitate them in real-world manner.

The team has then merged biological science with robotics so that a new hybrid form of life has been formed a machine, which resembles and moves like a living living being.

Possible Areas of Use outside Robotics.

This discovery is capable of revolutionizing medicine. Realistic prosthetics, skin grafts or training of reconstructive surgery can be in future using the same technology. Human-face robots would also be useful in treating patients with social or emotional difficulties.

It can also be used to open the way to development of lifelike humanoids in the process of teaching, entertainment and high-level customer services.

Ethical Issues and Concerns.

Nonetheless, the experiment is also heavily questioned in terms of ethics. Should a robot that is able to touch, have emotions, or its skin, be able to heal be accorded any rights or empathy?

Ethicists and philosophers caution that human-like robots could erase the emotional elements and mess with our perception of human existence.

Development and Challenges in the Future.

The robot has the ability to smile but it still has no ability to express complete emotions. Scientists are currently working on ways of linking nerve-like sensors to recognize touch, temperature and pain.

In the long run, they hope to create robots which would be able to repair broken skin in a way similar to humans the real combination of biology and technology.

Conclusion: The Birth of a New Kind of Being.

What is being developed is not a science fiction but science becoming a reality. Machines with the ability to smile with human skin are a new era of emotion technology.

As Japan keeps on pioneering in the field of robotics, there is a finer line between machine and humanity and this presents us with a glimpse of the next stage of intelligent life.

#HumanSkinRobot #JapanInnovation #BioTechnology #AIResearch #FutureOfRobotics #LivingSkinRobot #ScienceBreakthrough #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNews #InnovationInJapan #RoboticsEngineering #HumanLikeRobot #BioRobotics #TamilFactss