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In a research paper he observed BBCJapanese researchers succeeded attaching lab-grown human skin to a robot. A somewhat disturbing but very interesting experience that could advance robotics and even orthopedic surgery.
Escape from the uncanny valley
Our brain is conditioned to instantly recognize the human face and the characteristics that define it. He is particularly gifted at recognizing a number of details that we do not consciously perceive, such as the tiny asymmetry that we find in the structure of all faces and expressions.
On the other hand, as soon as we remove these subtle markers of our humanity, the deception becomes absolutely obvious without us being able to point to the obvious deformity. This phenomenon is called secret valley.
Researchers have been working on this topic since the earliest days of advanced robotics; As soon as the first androids appeared, some immediately thought that skin could allow robots to cross the uncanny valley to reach a level of near-perfect realism.
Clearly, things did not always go well. Currently, there is still no robot capable of creating illusions.
This is indeed a multifaceted problem: to get a perfectly realistic robot, we will undoubtedly have to wait for major advances in animation technologies, structural engineering and materials science.
But Japanese researchers believe they have taken a big step in that direction.
Larger than life skin
The researchers started by growing artificial skin made from real living cells. The result is relatively convincing.
Presents irregularities real like ia transluminescence pretty close to human skin, at least compared to a material like latex.
But skin realism alone is not enough to create a convincing humanoid. Other researchers have already had the bitter experience of this.
This isn’t the first time this idea of using real skin cells has been used, but so far it’s always run into a sticking problem. Indeed, the human skin is attached by ligamentous tissues to the underlying structures;
Without these essential connections, the skin cannot follow the movements of the face, and you get a result like in a horror movie.
To overcome these obstacles, Japanese researchers relied on a chemical and structural approach. The structure of their robot is actually dotted with small perforations that the researchers closed with different elements from the extracellular matrix, such as collagen and elastin — the two main components of ligaments.
Their artificial skin can therefore fit perfectly to the “skeleton” of the robot. In addition, this anchoring also prevents it from reabsorbing so that it can maintain its appearance over time.
Another point of interest: this artificial leather functionally resembles the real thing. In theory, such an organic coating could be independently regenerated to a certain extent.
On the other hand, since this was not the main aim of the study, it appears that the researchers did not measure the rate at which their fake skin could repair itself.
Bigger androids are not for tomorrow
On the other hand, this work still has serious limitations. Although this is already quite realistic, their synthetic material does not yet come close to human skin in terms of resistance and elasticity.
In addition, it lacks all the nerve structures associated with the perception of pressure and temperature, as well as all the circulatory structures for the delivery of nutrients that would allow this skin to constantly regenerate.
In addition, to achieve the perfect illusion, working on the skin will not be enough. It would also be necessary to reconstruct the complex muscle structures that animate them.
According to the lead author of the study cited by the BBC, this will necessarily involve the integration of highly sophisticated sensors and actuators.
Concrete potential
But before the death knell sounds for the uncanny valley, this work could have very concrete consequences in areas such as cosmetic or even orthopedic surgery.
If we can recreate fully functional skin and extracellular matrix, including at the nerve level, this is excellent news for patients suffering from facial paralysis or injuries such as severe burns.
The text of the study is available here.
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