Bio-printed skin and self-learning prosthetic hands harness AI at Paris tech show

The latest artificially intelligent innovations have been unveiled at the VivaTech show in Paris. From the tip of a nozzle, a very human body part is emerging–a piece of skin. This bio-printing technology has been developed by beauty giant L’Oréal. The company has long used reconstructed skin to test products on. But this latest innovation makes it more real than ever. L’Oréal's Skin Technology was announced on May 22 at the VivaTech technology show in Paris. L’Oréal says it is combining biology and cutting-edge tech to create testing models that mimic the complexity of real human skin. "You have the ability to now 3D print cells. You have the ability to use AI software to be able to reconstruct hair models and skin models and all of that through a world where then you combine it with cells and tech, you can be able to create any model that you want. And I think this is going to be a major revolution in the future when it comes to testing in the health industry, but also on skin," says Guive Balooch, Global Vice President, Technology Incubator at L’Oréal. It's not just intended for use by the beauty brand alone. L’Oréal also expects health industry start-ups and research institutes to try out the Skin Technology system. It helps avoid testing on animals. It also means a diverse array of skins can be manufactured, from precisely placed pigmentation blemishes, to different skin tones, and even differently aged skin, wrinkles and all. And L’Oréal claims their accuracy is close to perfect. Also trying to mimic the human body is a hand by Esper Bionics. The engineering company wants to create prosthetics that function more like the real thing for amputees and people born without limbs. The robotic hands use sensors to detect muscle movements in the user’s limb which trigger the prosthetic to move. AI is the dominant theme at this year’s VivaTech. From fashion and beauty, to health, to the workplace, there are huge numbers of companies trying to convince visitors that they are using artificial intelligence in the best possible way. This article was provided by The Associated Press.