Tokyo scientists have grown a ‘living’ skin like that of a human– and wrapped it around a robotic finger for their latest research.

Shoji Takeuchi and his colleagues, from Toyko University, bathed a plastic robot finger in a mixture of collagen and human skin cells called fibroblasts, the two main components that make up skin’s connective tissues, for three days.

Through the process, the mixture adhered to the finger and formed a layer like the dermis, which is the second-from-top layer of human skin.

Subsequently, this layer also provided a uniform foundation for the next coat of human cells to stick to.

These cells make up 90% of the outermost layer of skin, giving the robot a skin-like texture and moisture-retaining barrier properties.

The crafted skin is stretchy enough to move as the robotic finger curls and stretches, can be lifted with tweezers, repels water and can even self-heal with the help of a collagen bandage.

As part of the test, the researchers tested the skin’s ability to repair itself. They sliced the finger with a surgical tool and applied a plain collagen sheet over the wound, like a plaster. After around a week, the wound had healed over and withstood repeated joint movements.

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Takeuchi said he believes the success lies in the natural shrinking tendency of this collagen and fibroblast mixture, which shrank and tightly conformed to the finger.

He added: “The finger looks slightly ‘sweaty’ straight out of the culture medium.

“Since the finger is driven by an electric motor, it is also interesting to hear the clicking sounds of the motor in harmony with a finger that looks just like a real one.”

Prof Takeuchi added: “We are surprised by how well the skin tissue conforms to the robot’s surface.

“I think living skin is the ultimate solution to give robots the look and touch of living creatures since it is exactly the same material that covers animal bodies.”

The future of robots

The research aimed to create robotics that are as much like us as possible, and Japanese researchers said the living skin is the solution to give robots the look and touch of being alive.

Water-repellent and self-healing, the ‘living’ skin could have future applications for robotics in areas such as healthcare and service industries.

Although current silicone skin made for robots can imitate a human appearance, it does not have finer details like wrinkles, and cannot perform like human skin, the scientists said.

However, this type of ‘skin’ does not have the properties to allow it to act like human skin. One of the difficulties with creating sheets of living skin to cover robots is fitting them to moving objects with uneven surfaces.

Takeuchi said the findings were a first step towards building robots that look like us: “Our goal is to develop robots that are truly human-like.”

Researchers from Glasgow University recently developed an electronic skin which they hope could help create a new generation of smart robots.

By using a new type of processing system based on synaptic transistors that mimic the brain’s neural pathways, the e-skin can learn by reacting to external stimuli.

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