Engineers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have made a big leap toward building robots and wearable technology that can heal themselves—just like human skin.
Inspired by nature, the team has developed a soft artificial muscle that can detect damage, figure out where it happened, and fix itself without anyone’s help.
The team, led by Assistant Professor Eric Markvicka and graduate students Ethan Krings and Patrick McManigal, shared their groundbreaking research at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
Out of over 1,600 submissions, their paper was chosen as a finalist for several top awards, including Best Paper and Best Student Paper.
The goal was to solve a long-standing problem in the field of soft robotics: how to make machines that don’t just move like living things but also respond to injuries like them.
While scientists have already made soft, stretchable robotic parts that can bend and flex, most can’t recover if damaged. That’s where this new artificial muscle stands out.
The muscle has three special layers, each with its own job. The bottom layer acts like sensitive skin—it’s made from a flexible silicone filled with tiny liquid metal droplets.
This layer can sense when it’s been poked or squeezed.
The middle layer is made of a tough but flexible plastic that can melt and reform, allowing it to “heal.” On top is the layer that actually moves when filled with water, giving the muscle its strength and motion.
When something damages the bottom layer—like a sharp object pressing into it—it creates an electrical change.
The system detects this change and sends more electric current through the damaged area, heating it up. That heat melts the middle layer and repairs the damage, just like sealing a wound.
Once the damage is fixed, the system needs to reset itself so it’s ready to handle future injuries. The researchers came up with a clever trick using a process called electromigration.
Usually considered a problem in electronics, this process causes metal atoms to move when current flows through them. By increasing the current, the team was able to erase the “memory” of the injury from the bottom layer, making it ready to detect the next one.
This self-healing technology could change the future of robotics and electronics. Imagine robots used in agriculture that repair themselves after bumping into thorns or rocks, or wearable health devices that survive everyday damage without needing to be replaced. It could even help reduce electronic waste by making devices last longer—something that’s good for both people and the planet.
“If we can build systems that know when they’re hurt and heal themselves, just like people and animals do, it could transform how we design electronics,” Markvicka said.
What started as an idea inspired by nature is now turning into real technology—one step closer to machines that take care of themselves.
