Robots Get Living Skin

A team of Researchers at Tokyo University have found a way to bind engineered living skin tissue to robots with the hope of benefitting the cosmetics industry and helping to train plastic surgeons. 

New Method Of Adhesion 

The team (led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi) has reported that whereas previous methods to attach skin tissue to solid surfaces involved mini anchors or hooks, which limited the kinds of surfaces that could receive skin coatings, the new successful method mimics human skin-ligament structures. The new method uses specially made V-shaped perforations in solid materials, thereby enabling the team to bind skin to complex structures. The natural flexibility of the skin with this effective method of adhesion means that the skin can move along with the mechanical components of robots without tearing or peeling away.