The Skinbot development is one of several dozen projects at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. A small device that moves around a person on suction cups was created by bioengineer Artem Dementyev. The scientist believes that in the future this is exactly what the "new class of wearable devices" will look like. 360 spoke with the creator of the wearable robots to find out what they can be used for.
And from Novosibirsk to Maryland
As the scientist said, as a child, he was fond of Lego and the creation of construction models. Until the age of 14, he lived with his family in Novosibirsk, and then his father, a programmer, found a job in the USA. The family moved to Rockville, Maryland.
Artem Dementyev graduated from "regular school", then college, and then the University of Maryland at College Park with a degree in bioengineering. Then he got a job in a government organization - the US National Institute of Health (National Institute of Health, NIH). “I have been doing medical research related to health diagnostics for two years,” he said.
Now Artem Dementyev is 32 years old. In 2013, the scientist became part of one of the most advanced technology laboratories - the MIT Media Lab. The laboratory was founded in 1985. Currently, its staff specializes in research in technology, medicine, art, design and science. The laboratory is funded by corporate sponsors. Among the bottom - Verizon, Nike, Intel, Google, Lego, Twitter and many others. These companies participate in special events where scientists showcase their developments. It is not easy to get into the Media Lab - the competition for each place for applicants is 100-200 people.
Movable decorations
“With the development of computing power and artificial intelligence, people will need a new class of wearable devices that can collect more data,” Artem Dementyev is sure. Over the past few years, he, he says, "has been contributing" to the development of a new type of wearable gadgets.
The result is Skinbot - a light, small robot that "crawls" over a person using suction cups and analyzes the condition of the skin. The Media Lab believes that such a mini-robot can be used in telemedicine, as well as in the fields of beauty and fashion. “The robot is not yet autonomous: there are still no pumps with which it could work independently,” said Artem Dementyev. Probably, he too will have to come up with them on his own.
Before creating a robot with suction cups, the scientist tried to make a robot that would move on the skin using glue, hydrogel or wheels, but everything turned out to be in vain. “I spent about eight months trying different mechanisms and six prototypes were created,” he said.
Now Skinbot, which includes a mini-camera, can measure the pulse, find malignant growths on the skin, and measure the elasticity and firmness of the skin, the scientist said. Research on skin firmness in the future will help create prostheses for people who have lost their limbs, he said. Skinbot will be able to accurately determine the mechanical properties of the skin - this knowledge will help in individual prosthetics, Artem Dementyev is sure. In addition, Skinbot can be used in the cosmetic industry - to create lotions and creams that will help fight skin aging.
Photo Source: Media Lab, MIT
“Robots can do many of the tasks that doctors now do manually, and can also see things that doctors can't see,” said the developer. In the near future, he hopes to test his development on real patients.
Nastya Berkal
