A new feature article published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) explores how researchers are teaching robots to heal themselves by developing electronic skin that senses, bleeds, and repairs cuts and punctures, similar to living tissue found in humans.

The work, led by a team of researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln under the direction of Eric Markvicka, could prove “transformative” in environments where human repair isn’t possible, including space, agriculture, and defense. As part of their efforts, the team laminated the self-healing skin onto pneumatic actuators, which are soft robotic components that expand and contract like muscles. 

Research efforts are supported by the National Science Foundation, NASA’s Nebraska EPSCoR program, and the Biomedical Research Development Fund, as part of a broader movement to build more adaptive, durable technologies.

Ultimately, such self-healing materials may be used for more than exoskeletons. Research may support a future where machines just don’t mimic life—they sustain it.

Read more in “The Rise of Self-Healing Robots,” by Agam Shah.