Scientists Create Robots With ‘Living Skin’ That Smiles

It doesn’t matter how many movies or TV shows depict robots and their potential consequences, there will always be someone striving to bring robot and artificial intelligence into our lives. Scientists in Japan have created a face mask from human skin cells attached to robots that imitate human expression. It’s like a moment straight from a sci-fi movie.

“Human-like faces and expressions improve communication and empathy in human-robot interactions, making robots more effective in health care, service and companionship roles,” Shoji Takeuchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo and the study’s lead researcher, told The New York Times.

Researchers at Tokyo University created a robot with a face made from living skin. The living skin attached to the mechanical structure is the key to the robot’s realistic expressions. A collagen gel layer containing human skin cells binds to a system of tiny perforations, allowing the skin to move seamlessly with the underlying robotic framework. Additionally, the actuators power the smiles.

CNN shared a video of what the robot's skin tissue would look like. It shows a soft, pink blob staring at the camera with glassy eyes before pulling its face into a dimpled smile.  

The research, details of which were published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science this month, is an “exciting development for the robotics field,” Yifan Wang, an assistant professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore shared with the outlet. Wang’s work focuses on “soft robots” that mimic biological creatures.

Skin, the largest organ of the human body, is vital for sensory perception, feeling temperature, humidity, and the textures of objects, says Wang. “This kind of feature in biological systems is currently, with artificial robots, still very difficult to achieve,” he adds.

There were 3.9 million industrial robots working on auto and electronics assembly lines and other work settings in 2022, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

Recently, OpenAI shut down a chatbot named “VIC” after it officially registered to run for mayor. CNN reported that Victor Miller, 42, filed paperwork to run for mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming. But he didn’t list his name. Miller listed the name of a customized AI chatbot to appear on the ballot.

Earlier this year, BMW started testing general-purpose humanoid robots at a plant in South Carolina. According to the announcement, the robots “enable the automation of difficult, unsafe, or tedious tasks throughout the manufacturing process.” 

In April, Bloomberg reported that Apple is exploring various “personal robotics” projects in an effort to create the “next big thing.