Communications of the ACM
Robots Could Look, Feel 'human' on the Outside
University of Oxford researchers say robots can "wear" human tissues using technology currently available.
Credit: fotoslaz/iStock
Researchers at the University of Oxford in the U.K. say technology currently is available to enable robots to "wear" human tendons, muscle, and skin.
The researchers suggest robots could mold these human tissues as grafts before they are transplanted onto human patients. They say humanoid robots could play a major role in helping people prone to injuring their muscles, tendons, and skin, and propose a "humanoid-bioreactor system" that mimics the human body in framework, dimensions, and mechanics.
The grafts would be placed over the robot's endoskeleton, and as the robot interacts with its environment, the grafts would experience natural strains and twists as if they grew on a human body.
The researchers say the system could enable patients who need new tissue to interact with the robot that is wearing their future grafts, and it could be the basis for future "biohybrid humanoids."
From Wireless Design Magazine
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2017 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found