A Smiling Robot Face Made From Living Human Cells

A team of scientists led by Michio Kawai of the University of Tokyo and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University created a rather disconcerting smiling robot face that was made from living human cells. This study sought to develop a “living skin” model of cells to cover humanoid robots for true emotive reactions and clearer communication.

A smiling face made from living human skin could one day be attached to a humanoid robot, allowing machines to emote and communicate in a more lifelike way, say researchers. Its wrinkles could also prove useful for the cosmetics industry.

The Scientists Explain Their Thesis

In this study, we develop and characterize perforation-type anchors inspired by the structure of skin ligaments as a technique to effectively adhere skin equivalents to robotic surfaces.