A new Terminator-like skin that self-heals could spawn killer robots.
Scientists at Stanford University have developed skin made of silicone and polypropylene glycol materials that stretch like human skin without tearing, while the magnetic properties allow the skin to self-align.
When warmed, the two polymers soften and flow, solidifying as they cool.
When heated to just 158 degrees Fahrenheit, self-alignment and healing occurs in approximately 24 hours.
The team said the skin could lead to ‘reconfigurable soft robots that can change shape and sense their deformation on demand,” ultimately transforming warfare.
The team demonstrated how the stretchy skin works in a new video by placing three broken pieces of the robot on a table
Within moments, the pieces began to move towards each other and realign into one piece.
Co-author Chris Cooper, PhD candidate, told SWS: “We have achieved what we believe to be the first demonstration of a thin-film multilayer sensor that automatically realigns during healing.”
“This is a critical step towards mimicking human skin, which has multiple layers that all reassemble properly during the healing process.”
The team hailed the skin as the closest thing to the futuristic electronic skin worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg character in “The Terminator” film franchise.
Cooper and his colleagues used the same technique of layering human skin to develop their innovation.
Co-author Dr Sam Root said: “One layer can sense pressure, another temperature and yet another voltage.”
Layers can be designed to detect thermal, mechanical or electrical changes.
The backbone of each layer is made up of long molecular chains linked by dynamic hydrogen bonds – similar to those that hold the double helix of DNA strands together.
It allows repeated stretching without tearing – similar to latex
The researchers used silicone and PPG (polypropylene glycol). Both have mechanical and rubbery properties and biocompatibility.
The team hailed the skin as the closest thing to the futuristic electronic skin worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg character in “The Terminator” film franchise.
Both materials were carefully engineered to have similar viscous and elastic responses to external stresses over an appropriate temperature range.
“The skin is slow to heal, too. I cut my finger the other day and it was still healing four or five days later,” Cooper said.
“For us, the most important part is that it heals to recover functions without our input or effort.”
The addition of magnetic materials also led to the prototype self-assembling from separate parts.
Cooper and his colleagues used the same technique of layering human skin to develop their innovation
Co-author Professor Renee Zhao said: “By combining magnetic field-guided navigation and induction heating, we may be able to build reconfigurable soft robots that can change shape and sense their deformation on demand. .”
The long-term vision of the skin is to create devices capable of recovering from extreme damage.
For example, imagine a device that, once torn to pieces and torn, could rebuild itself on its own.
He showed a short video of several pieces of laminated synthetic skin submerged in water. Magnetically joined together, the pieces move closer to each other and eventually reassemble.
Their electrical conductivity returns as they heal, and an LED attached to the top of the material lights up to prove it.
The next step is to make the layers as thin as possible – and of varied functions. The current prototype was designed to sense pressure. Additional layers arranged to sense changes in temperature or stress could be included.
In terms of a future vision, the team envisions robots that could be swallowed into pieces and then self-assemble inside the body to perform non-invasive medical treatments.
Other applications include multi-sensory, self-healing electronic skins that fit robots and give them a sense of touch.
