Scientists have been making incredible strides lately, leading to advancements that could change the world. However, not every breakthrough is warmly received. One such advance has left many people feeling quite unsettled: a robot with real living skin.

In Japan, a team from the University of Tokyo has managed to graft human skin cells onto a humanoid robot’s face. Their goal? To make machines appear more lifelike. Take a look at this:

Shoji Takeuchi, a professor leading this fascinating project, explained the potential benefits this technology could bring in the future.

“Living skin can give robots new abilities. For example, self-healing. While some chemically-based materials can heal themselves, they require external triggers like heat or pressure. Biological skin, on the other hand, repairs minor cuts just like human skin does. We can also add nerves and other skin organs for sensing purposes,” said Prof. Takeuchi.

Prof. Takeuchi went on to mention, “We’ve mimicked human skin-ligament structures using specially designed V-shaped perforations in solid materials. This technique allows the skin to move with the robot’s mechanical parts without tearing or peeling away.