Artificially Engineered Human Skin

I was looking at the different technology articles on Yahoo, and I came across an article that talked about an engineer making human skin that allows the user to detect touch and temperature. The head researcher/engineer said there were 3 criteria that she wanted to meet before designing the artificial skin. It had to bend and stretch, can detect pressure and temperature, and can pick up and send information about the environment to the user. The third criteria were claimed to be the most difficult because "if the skin can sense but the brain can't understand it, then there’s no sense of touch."

            They explained the different types of prosthetics available, and they mentioned that the prosthetics that are currently out there today are can bend and stretch but don’t pick up any sensory information or prosthetics that are rigid but pick up all types of sensory information. This engineering team’s goal is to create skin that can do both.

Our society is growing quite rapidly, and this article helps to tie in the idea of being half human/half robot. Prosthetic limbs and other body parts are used by many different people who are in need of an arm, leg, etc. This is; however, the first-time skin has been reconstructed, and it is designed to work as efficiently as real human skin. This can potentially be used for burn victims, and other patients who have had their skin destroyed.

            While this is an amazing feat, what are the other possibilities that can arise from this invention? Maybe other prosthetics that are used for other limbs will be made even more life-like, and will work even more efficiently than regular limbs? This is all speculation, but no one can tell where all this advancement in technology will take us. Eventually, if we continue to advance in artificially creating body parts we will begin to build half human half robots. This is a common theme among sci-fi movies, and we might soon be living out the films.

            This would truly be a helpful tool for patients in need. I believe this invention is also the first step forward to building robots. If we can design something that can be incorporated into a real human, then eventually we will learn how to make it operate alone and without a user. With any given piece of technology there is always the potential for harm as much as there is potential for good. I truly believe that everything in this world has its own pros and cons. With this material, the pros are that it can help replace skin and help humans in need. However, the cons for this invention would possibly be the price of the material and the accessibility. When this item first comes out it will not be available to many people, but it will most likely be available to those with more power and money. It will definitely take some time for this creation to reach the average citizen, but it is an interesting invention nonetheless.

Link for the article: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/stanford-engineer-making-stretchable-flexible-154622312.html