A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo successfully bound engineered skin tissue onto the face of a humanoid robotMarina Watts is a Digital News Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Bustle, The US Sun, Newsweek and OK! Magazine.Robots with human-like skin may be closer to reality than one might think.
With this latest experiment, the research team created a flesh-like material that can adhere to a robotic finger and bend without breaking, similar to that of a human. They took the "living" skin and applied it to a robot with light glassy eyes. And yes, it can also smile. For adhering the skin tissue to the robot, the research team used a special collagen gel, which is strong enough to withstand perforations. The scientists were able to mold the collagen onto a robot and cling closely to the surfaces, making for a malleable material.
In time, this "living" skin could lead to breakthroughs in research related to skin aging, cosmetics, surgical procedures, plastic surgery and drug development.