Hannah Grace Science 01.18.2022 00:Jan AM EST

Facebook Robot Will Have Human-Like Skin, Eyes: Is It Coming Soon?

In a patent seen on the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it appears that a Facebook robot will have eyes and skin similar to humans.

Facebook Robot Eyes

Since Facebook was rebranded as Meta, the social media giant has been strongly involved in robots.

One of the patents of the firm appears to include a human-like eye gadget, which is coated in a skin-like covering.

To further emphasize the Facebook robot eyes, a patent named "Two-Axis Mechanical Rotatable Eyeball" explained in detail that this robotic eyeball contains a volume equivalent to the human eye. Aside from this, it is also said to include an exterior frame shaped like the outer surface of a genuine human eyeball.

ScreenRant clarified that the resemblances do not stop there since the robotic eyes seem to aim to copy the human eyes perfectly.

The said exterior frame may feature a circular shape imitating a sclera of a human eye and a curved surface representing the eye's cornea--which may contain a pupil.

As readers may recall, Meta has already begun to teach its artificial intelligence to observe the world around it through the eyes of a person.

For those wondering how it will be used, the patent application of Facebook explained that the artificial eye might be used in an eye-tracking system. In relation to this, this type of technology may be utilized as a testing field for enhanced augmented reality or virtual reality devices, such as the company's own Project Cambria headset, which will be released later this year.

Digital Information World added that the Facebook robot eye will also support the social media giant in determining the interest of their users, as well as digital advertising. Overall, this product is the first journey of the company into the Metaverse.

Aside from the human-like eye, Facebook previously unveiled ReSkin, a thin synthetic skin capable of simulating human-level feelings in robotic limbs.

The synthetic skin can sense pressures as little as 0.1 Newton on objects as thin as 1mm across, allowing robotic components to handle delicate goods without risking damage, per Screen Rant.

Facebook Robot Skin

Facebook stated in November 2020 that they would begin a collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University to develop touchable sensors and lightweight skin that will give robots a sensation of touch.

"A generalized tactile sensing skin like ReSkin will provide a source of rich contact data that could be helpful in advancing AI in a wide range of touch-based tasks, including object classification, proprioception, and robotic grasping," the company explained.

The Menlo Park-based social media giant also added that ReSkin may be combined with additional sensors to capture vision, sound and touch data from the outside lab and even in uncontrolled environments.

In another ScreenRant report, the synthetic of the robot is said to be composed of a flexible elastomer with magnetic particles integrated into it. The magnetic signals of the particles are captured and subsequently transformed into significant information, such as the site of contact and the amount of force exerted.

Screen Rant also suggested that the Facebook robot might be useful for organizations like NASA, which is now developing semi-autonomous robots in space to perform a variety of jobs.