Inanimate objects coming to life — the stuff of nightmares? Not so when you can control the objects thanks to “robotic skin.” Then it’s just really, really cool.
You don’t have to take our word for it, either. Yale researchers have actually created this robotic skin, and they posted a video of it in action on Wednesday— the same day they published their research on the tech in the journal Science Robotics.
Continue reading… “This “Robotic Skin” can turn pretty much anything into a robot”
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a 3D-printed robot “skin” capable of changing color according to the physical stimuli that it receives. The work was inspired by the so-called “goldbug,” a golden tortoise beetle, which changes color in the wild.
“I was googling online about two and a half years ago, looking for creatures that change their color, and found out about this beetle,” project leader, Subramanian Sundaram, an MIT graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, told Digital Trends. “The golden tortoise beetle is incredibly interesting. One of the things it does is that, when it’s disturbed or scared, it drains out the fluid in its shell which is normally golden in color, but becomes a reddish-brown. I was interested by the idea that this beetle was able to respond to mechanical disturbances by changing the color and transparency of its outer shell. I thought we might be able to replicate that.”
Continue reading… “MIT’s Color-changing Robot ‘skin’ Was Inspired by the Golden Tortoise Beetle”
The best medical devices for measuring blood flow today require the patient to first show up at a clinic or hospital, then stay very still during the imaging procedure. But an experimental sensor that clings to skin like a temporary tattoo could enable 24-hour monitoring of blood flow wherever a patient goes.
Continue reading… “Flexible wearable sensor enables 24-hour blood flow monitoring”
The method could viably produce enough skin samples to be used commercially for drug and cosmetics testing.
The use of animal testing for medical research than for cosmetics testing is much easier to defend. Yet many cosmetics companies continue to test on animals to ensure that their products don’t produce negative outcomes for their human customers.
Wristify
A group of engineering students at MIT wants you to get nice and comfy, so they have created a thermoelectric bracelet designed to keep its wearer at the optimal thermal level for personal comfort.
Continue reading… “Wristify – a thermal wristband keeps your body at the perfect temperature”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgSHTfSOOVw[/youtube]
Thiel fellowBen Yu and Deven Soni believe there is a $45 billion market up for grabs. Instead of looking to attack the market with another consumable drink they have come up with a sprayable form of caffeine that you absorb through your skin.
Creating stem cells from skin.
Researchers have converted human skin cells into embryonic stem cells using the same process involved in cloning, which have the capability to turn into any type of cell in the body. Stem cell researchers have reached a long-sought milestone in “regenerative” medicine that seeks to provide rejection-free replacement transplant tissues to patients.
Continue reading… “Researchers clone human embryonic stem cells”
Epidermal electronics
Researchers have devised a way to “print” devices directly onto the skin so people can wear them for an extended period of time while performing normal daily activities. Such systems could be used to track health and monitor healing near the skin’s surface, as in the case of surgical wounds.
Continue reading… “Wearable electronic sensors printed directly on the skin”
Human brain cells created from skin.
Scientists in Britain are claiming to have made a major breakthrough after creating brain tissue from human skin.The researchers have for the first time generated crucial types of human brain cells in the laboratory by reprogramming skin cells, which they say could speed up the hunt for new treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and stroke.
With a little help from genetically modified goats human skin can stop a bullet.
Continue reading… “Bio-engineered bulletproof human skin reinforced with spider silk”
Touch Bionics has recently introduced a new photographic system that is designed to precisely match a prosthesis to a person’s skin tone.
Touch Bionics, a prosthetic technology company, has unveiled an ultra-realistic range of limbs with features such as freckles, hairs and even tattoos.
Spider silk could be an ideal answer for helping heal wounds.
Researchers may have found a better alternative for providing skin grafts to wounds. It turns out that spider silk is legendary for its strength, as well as its possible healing properties. Tissue engineer Hanna Wendt at Medical School Hannover in Germany honed in on this and found that by creating an artificial skin spun from spider silk, we could have an ideal answer for helping heal wounds.
