Robot Smiles With Human Cells Grown in Labs

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Imagine a small robot face that can smile and make expressions just like a human. Scientists have covered this robot face with real human skin cells that they grew in a lab. This special skin can move and stretch, making the robot’s smile look very realistic.

How It Works

Skin Cells: The skin on the robot is made from real human skin cells grown in a lab.
Anchors: Tiny hooks called “anchors” help keep the skin in place and allow it to move naturally.
Expressions: The robot can smile and make other facial expressions because it has rods inside that move its face.

Challenges

No Sensing: The skin can’t feel things like our skin can.
No Blood Vessels: It doesn’t have blood vessels to keep it healthy and moist.
Self-Healing: Scientists are working on making the skin able to heal itself if it gets damaged.

Future Improvements

Sensing and Blood Vessels: Researchers want to add features so the skin can feel and stay healthy.
Better Healing: They also want to make sure the skin can repair itself, just like our skin does when we get a cut.

Why It Matters

Human-Like Robots: This technology could make robots that look and act more like humans, which could be helpful in places like hospitals.
Cosmetics Testing: It could also help test new skincare products to see how they affect wrinkles.

In simple terms, scientists are making robots that can smile and look more like us by using real human skin cells. This could make robots more helpful and relatable in the future.

The living skin on the robot face, while innovative and capable of self-healing, is still relatively delicate and can be damaged under certain conditions. Here are some key points regarding its durability and potential for damage:

Attachment and Flexibility: The skin is attached using a method that mimics human skin ligaments, involving V-shaped perforations filled with collagen gel. This method provides a strong and flexible attachment, allowing the skin to move with the robot’s mechanical components without tearing or peeling away easily[1][2][3].
Self-Healing Properties: The skin can repair minor lacerations autonomously, similar to human skin. This self-healing ability is a significant advantage over traditional synthetic materials, which require external triggers like heat or pressure to repair themselves[4][5][6].
Challenges and Limitations: Despite its strengths, the skin is not yet as durable as natural human skin. It lacks blood vessels and sensory functions, which are crucial for long-term health and resilience. Without these, the skin cannot sustain itself for extended periods or respond to environmental stimuli effectively[7][8][9].
Future Improvements: Researchers are working on enhancing the skin’s durability by developing integrated blood vessels and improving the collagen structure. These advancements aim to provide better nutrient and moisture supply, increasing the skin’s longevity and mechanical strength[10][11][12].

In summary, while the robot’s living skin is designed to be flexible and self-healing, it can still be damaged relatively easily compared to natural human skin. Ongoing research aims to address these vulnerabilities to make the skin more robust and functional.

The self-healing process in the robot skin works similarly to how human skin heals itself. Here’s a simplified explanation of the mechanism:

Living Cells and Collagen: The skin is made from a mixture of human skin cells and collagen. Collagen is a protein that helps give skin its structure and strength.
Self-Healing Mechanism: When the skin gets a minor cut or damage, the living cells in the skin start to multiply and move to the damaged area. These cells produce new collagen and other substances to fill in the cut and repair the skin.
Anchors and Flexibility: The skin is attached to the robot using tiny V-shaped anchors that mimic human skin ligaments. These anchors help keep the skin in place and allow it to move naturally with the robot’s movements, reducing the risk of tearing.
Plasma Treatment: To ensure the collagen gel penetrates the tiny perforations and binds the skin securely to the robot, a water-vapor-based plasma treatment is used. This treatment makes the robot’s surface more hydrophilic (attracted to water), allowing the collagen to seep into the perforations and form a strong bond.

This self-healing ability is a significant advancement over traditional synthetic materials, which often require external triggers like heat or pressure to repair themselves. The biological skin repairs minor lacerations autonomously, much like human skin does[2][4][6].

So what does this all mean?

Well, we know how far AI has advanced. The loose term of “robot” is misleading because they are essentially creating these skins for AI to live in a “robot” body.

Remember folks, this is news not opinion.

Thoughts?

Thank you to perplexity.ai for helping provide sources from all over the web and library database to support my post.

Sources
[1] Scientists create smiling robot face from living human skin cells – Axios https://www.axios.com/2024/06/26/robot-face-human-skin-cells
[2] Researchers craft smiling robot face from living human skin cells https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/06/researchers-craft-smiling-robot-face-from-living-human-skin-cells/
[3] Self-healing robot skin created out of human cells – Freethink https://www.freethink.com/technology/living-skin-for-robots
[4] Tokyo University creates self-healing artificial skin for robots https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/26/tokyo-university-creates-self-healing-artificial-skin-for-robots/
[5] Lab-grown, self-healing human skin designed to cover robot faces https://www.popsci.com/science/human-skin-robots/
[6] Biohybrid Robots: Seamlessly Integrating Living Skin – AZoRobotics https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=15025
[7] Japanese scientists develop self-healing skin for robots https://www.blackbeltnewsnetwork.com/news/national/japanese-scientists-develop-self-healing-skin-for-robots/article_af45b298-a83c-5180-b348-eb8adba5abbe.html
[8] Robots With Skin Made From Living Human Cells Are Terrifying https://brobible.com/culture/article/robots-self-healing-skin-living-human-cells/
[9] Giving life to robotic skins – ScienceDirect.com https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590238522003010
[10] Layers of self-healing electronic skin realign autonomously when cut https://cheme.stanford.edu/layers-self-healing-electronic-skin-realign-autonomously-when-cut
[11] Self-healing ‘living skin’ can make robots more humanlike https://www.livescience.com/technology/robotics/self-healing-living-skin-can-make-robots-more-humanlike-and-it-looks-just-as-creepy-as-youd-expect
[12] Robotic Finger With Self-Healing Skin – AZoRobotics https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=13031
[13] Scientists create self-healing real human-like skin, to be extensively … https://www.firstpost.com/tech/scientists-create-self-healing-real-human-like-skin-to-be-extensively-used-for-robotics-13786769.html
[14] A review on self-healing featured soft robotics – Frontiers https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/robotics-and-ai/articles/10.3389/frobt.2023.1202584/full
[15] Binding Skin Tissue to Humanoid Robots | Lab Manager https://www.labmanager.com/binding-skin-tissue-to-humanoid-robots-32432
[16] Mouse muscle robot a glimpse into self-healing cyborg future https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/21/mouse_muscle_cyborg_light/
[17] Sci/Tech – SCIENTISTS ATTACHED LIVING, LAB-GROWN SKIN TO … https://www.thehelper.net/threads/scientists-attached-living-lab-grown-skin-to-a-robots-face-and-it-looks-like-it-craves-the-sweet-release-of-death.194881/

RESOURCES USED
[1] Scientists find a way to attach living skin to robot faces, making them … https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/scientist-found-a-way-attach-living-skin-to-robot-faces-make-them-look-alive-9420359/
[2] Lab-grown, self-healing human skin designed to cover robot faces https://www.popsci.com/science/human-skin-robots/
[3] This smiling robot has a face covered in ‘living’ skin – CNN https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/28/science/japan-robotic-skin-smile-hnk-spc-intl/index.html
[4] Thanks, Scientists, for This Terrifying Smiling Robot Face Made of … https://www.cnet.com/science/thanks-scientists-for-this-terrifying-smiling-robot-face-made-of-living-skin-cells/
[5] Self-healing ‘living skin’ can make robots more humanlike https://www.livescience.com/technology/robotics/self-healing-living-skin-can-make-robots-more-humanlike-and-it-looks-just-as-creepy-as-youd-expect
[6] Living skin on a robot: Matter – Cell Press https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385%2822%2900239-9
[7] Japan scientists make smiling robot with ‘living’ skin – Phys.org https://phys.org/news/2024-06-japan-scientists-robot-skin.html
[8] Layers of self-healing electronic skin realign autonomously when cut https://cheme.stanford.edu/layers-self-healing-electronic-skin-realign-autonomously-when-cut
[9] Scientists craft living human skin for robots – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220609131938.htm
[10] Scientists create robot face with lab-grown living skin – New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/06/25/tech/scientists-create-robot-face-with-lab-grown-living-skin/
[11] Tokyo University creates self-healing artificial skin for robots https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/26/tokyo-university-creates-self-healing-artificial-skin-for-robots/
[12] This smiling robot has a face covered in ‘living’ skin https://ca.news.yahoo.com/smiling-robot-face-covered-living-055232496.html
[13] Faces made of living skin make robots smile – BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedd3208veyo
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[20] We’re One Step Closer to Giving Robots a ‘Human’ Face https://explorersweb.com/robot-human-skin-smiling/