Robots could go full ‘Terminator’ after scientists create realistic, self-healing skin
Researchers at Stanford University have developed an ultra-realistic self-healing material that could be used to cloak robots in human-like synthetic skin similar to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg character in the Terminator movie franchise. The layers of synthetic skin can self-recognise and align with each other to allow the skin to continue functioning while healing. The material can sense thermal, mechanical or electrical changes around it, and each layer will self-heal with itself to restore the overall function when damaged. The material is similar to real skin, and can even sense pressure like a human. The next phase for the researchers is to work on making the layers of skin as thin as possible that have different functions, such as a layer that can sense a change in temperature and another layer that senses pressure. The development can be used to build reconfigurable soft robots that can change shape and sense their deformation on demand.
FAQs
What is the self-healing material developed by Stanford researchers?
Researchers at Stanford University have developed an ultra-realistic self-healing material that could be used to cloak robots in human-like synthetic skin similar to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg character in the Terminator movie franchise.
What is the purpose of the self-healing material?
The material can be used to cloak robots in human-like synthetic skin, making humans feel more comfortable around such technology.
What can the self-healing material sense?
The material can sense thermal, mechanical, or electrical changes around it, and each layer will self-heal with itself to restore the overall function when damaged. The current prototype featured in the study was designed to sense pressure.
What is the next phase for the Stanford researchers?
The next phase for the researchers is to work on making the layers of skin as thin as possible that have different functions, such as a layer that can sense a change in temperature and another layer that senses pressure.
What can the development be used for?
The development can be used to build reconfigurable soft robots that can change shape and sense their deformation on demand.
Realistic, self-healing skin developed by scientists may lead robots to emulate ‘Terminator’ behavior.
Scientists at Stanford University have developed a self-healing, ultra-realistic synthetic material for robotic skin that could pave the way for future robots to be covered in human-like synthetic skin, similar to the cyborg assassin in the “Terminator” movie franchise. Researchers have been studying and developing convincing skin materials for robots for years, with Stanford professor Zhenan Bao touting the first multi-layer self-healing synthetic electronic skin back in 2012. The latest material developed by Bao and his team combines multiple layers of synthetic skin that can automatically realign and heal, allowing the skin to continue functioning even when injured. This is a critical step towards mimicking human skin, which has multiple layers that all recover correctly during the healing process. The prototype is designed to sense pressure and the researchers are working to make even thinner layers that can sense changes in temperature and pressure. Armoring AI-powered robots with life-like skin could make humans feel more comfortable around such technology.