Bizarre humanoid robot with a face made out of living skin tissue is created by researchers in Japan

In science fiction films like Alien, humanoid robots are so lifelike that it is almost impossible to distinguish them from a real person.

Now scientists in Japan are on their way to creating lifelike versions of these realistic machines.

The experts at the University of Tokyo have created a robot face from human skin grown in a laboratory.

Creepy video shows the bizarre pink creation trying on a goofy smile.

According to the scientists, robots with real skin not only “look increasingly lifelike” but can heal themselves if damaged.

In science fiction films like Alien, humanoid robots are so realistic that it’s almost impossible to distinguish them from a real human – at least until you see their innards. Pictured Ian Holm as Ash in ‘Alien’ (1979)

The research was led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo and detailed in a new study Cell reports natural sciences.

Professor Takeuchi’s lab has already created mini robots that can walk using biological muscle tissue, 3D-printed lab-grown meat and modified skin that can heal.

“We have managed to imitate the human appearance to a certain extent by creating a face with the same surface material and structure as humans,” says Professor Takeuchi.

The ‘engineered skin tissue’ is made by taking a sample of human skin cells and growing them in the laboratory – similar to the way cultured meat is developed.

Study co-author Michio Kawai from Harvard University told MailOnline: ‘These human skin cells are mainly harvested from excess skin obtained during surgery.

‘Cultured skin has the same composition as human skin and is also used as a graft material for people with severe burns or injuries.’

The artificial skin tissue and the way it adheres to the underlying complex structure of the robot’s features are inspired by skin ligaments in human tissues

Creepy new video shows the bizarre pink creation trying on a cheap smile. The silicone layer is attracted at the corners of the mouth by external mechanical actuators

While developing living skin from cell cultures has its own challenges, the most difficult part was getting the skin to adhere to a robot face made of acrylic-based resin.

Previous methods involved mini anchors or hooks, but these limited the types of surfaces to which skin coatings could be applied and which could cause damage during movement.

Instead, the team used a special collagen gel for bonding and made special perforations in their robot’s face, allowing the layer of lab-grown skin to stay in place.

By carefully making small perforations, skin can be inserted into almost any kind of surface, they say.

Although there is still a long way to go before talking humanoids look exactly like us, Professor Takeuchi and colleagues believe that living skin could provide robots with a range of new skills.

There’s still a long way to go before robots look like the ones in the Alien franchise, which is mainly set in the 21st and 24th centuries. In the photo Lance Henriksen as bishop in ‘Aliens’ (1986)

Robots with skin on their faces have self-healing capabilities, embedded sensing capabilities and an “increasingly lifelike appearance.”

“This study introduces an approach to bond and activate skin equivalents with perforation-type anchors, potentially contributing to advances in biohybrid robotics,” they say in their paper.

‘Unlike other self-healing materials, which require heat or pressure to cause adhesion to cut surfaces, skin equivalent can regenerate defects through cellular proliferation without any trigger.’

The next challenge will be to create a series of human-like expressions by integrating advanced actuators, similar to muscles, into the robot.