While it might look like the stuff of nightmares, this tiny robot covered in living skin could mark a step forward in the quest to make robots more human-like. It’s the work of researchers in Japan, who say they have discovered a new way to bind living skin tissue to a mechanical robotic surface. Previously, he developed a “living” robot skin — using collagen, a fibrous protein in human skin, and human dermal fibroblasts, the main cell type in connective tissue — that could be applied to a robotic finger and bend without breaking. The new method uses V-shaped holes on the robot's surface to attach the living skin securely. However, ensuring the consistency and quality of the living skin might not be so easy, says Takeuchi.

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Persons: Shoji Takeuchi, ”, Takeuchi, Takeuchi isn’t, Will Jackson, ” Jackson, Hanson Robotics ’ Sophia, Grace, Yifan Wang, Wang, ” Takeuchi, Wang — Organizations: CNN, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Engineered Arts Ltd, Hanson Robotics ’, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, The University of Tokyo Locations: Japan