The skin was made in a laboratory at the University of Tokyo from a mixture of human skin cells grown on a collagen model and placed on a 3D printed resin base, reports New Scientist.
Scientists involved in the project believe that "living" skin could be a key step in creating robots that heal and feel like humans.
"This living skin would be particularly useful for robots that work closely with humans, such as medical, service, social and humanoid cyborgs, where more human-like functions are required," Professor Shoji Takeuchi told the Times of London.
Robot face with lab-grown living skin created by scientists hoping to make more human-like cyborgs https://t.co/IXCuA02lAv pic.twitter.com/1zOO3ZEC9t
— New York Post (@nypost) June 25, 2024
Although lab-grown skin still doesn't fully resemble real human skin, Takeuchi says it's still a breakthrough in science.
"Thicker and more realistic skin will be achieved by incorporating sweat glands, sebaceous glands, pores, blood vessels, fat and nerves."
Takeuchi added that they still have plenty of time to perfect the "living" skin, as it may take up to ten years before these robots can regularly interact with humans.
Source: hirado.hu
Cover image: New York Post / X