Scientists cover a robot finger in 'slightly sweaty' human skin

Sophia Mykhaylyuk notes how the next transformation in robotics is transforming the android world

IN an impressive technical feat, scientists at the University of Tokyo have successfully built a robotic finger covered in living human skin. Though not quite on par with the Bicentennial Man just yet, we are temperature of around 36 degrees. On top of that, scientists have also confirmed that the finger (unlike the heart of a Newcastle fan this league) is able to heal itself, although it does take a week for the skin’s fibroblast cells to merge a collagen bandage with the rest of the skin.

Following these results, MIT engineer Ritu Raman has said that she can see a future version of the robot human bedded with nerve cells where robots can be more aware of their surroundings, tions with humans may be seamless enough to interact with people in medical care and the service industry. Although the skin is currently enjoying an enviable lifestyle, being submerged in sugary water for the majority of its lifespan, scientists predict that with the introduction of blood vessel replicas, they are on the way to making the skin both self–moisturising and self–replenishing. Thus, they anticipate a day when robots can be fully covered in robot skin.

This experiment is more than just a sci–fi nerd’s dream come true — scientists in the field have called it an ‘important step’ in redefining the relationship between humans and robots, blurring the line between the natural and artificial. The goal is to one day make robots resemble real people, though hopefully with more wholesome intentions than Arnold Schwarzeneg - ger’s titular cyborg assassin.

Blurring the line between natural and artificial

Some concerns have been raised over how the combination of the lifelike and mechanical can trigger a sense of disgust and revulsion, known as the ‘uncanny valley effect’, with Dr Buru Urgen of the Bilkent Univeristy warning that the robots ‘maybe found eerie or creepy’. However, judging by the complexity of the robotic fingers' current skin care routine, and the fact that it is able to perform only marginal movements without ripping, it is safe to say that a future where Terminator reigns is still far from reality.

For the time being, the finger remains a, ‘slightly sweaty’, fantastic technical innovation with exciting potential.