Poland-based Clone Robotics recently posted a video on X featuring a ghost-like, faceless robot with human-like body movements. The fact that the robot was suspended from the ceiling made the whole thing all the more surreal (and extremely unsettling). The video has crossed 50 million views, leaving many viewers wondering whether it’s real.

Yes, this robot is very much real. It is a humanoid that one day might help you do your laundry and dishes, or so Clone Robotics claims. While it’s not yet ready for commercial use, Clone Robotics is actively developing it and has already made significant progress. 

What makes the humanoid different is that unlike conventional robots that exclusively run on mechanical parts and electric motors, this android also uses human-like muscles, a skeleton, and a pump that functions in a way similar to the human heart. Clone Robotics claims that it is “the world’s first bipedal musculoskeletal android.”

A robot with over 1000 muscles

A musculoskeletal android is designed to mimic the structure and movement of the human musculoskeletal system. Unlike traditional robots that rely on rigid metal joints, these androids use artificial muscles, tendons, and joints to achieve human-like body movements.

Clone Robotics’s humanoid, called Protoclone, has a skeleton made of polymer. This skeleton mimics the function of the 206 bones found in the human body. 

“The Clone’s skeletal system contains all 206 bones of the human body with a small number of bone fusions. The joints are fully articulated with artificial ligaments and connective tissues. With 1:1 ligament and tendon placement on the skeleton, the android is highly articular and includes one-to-many and many-to-one joint-muscle relationships,” Clone Robotics notes.

The robot uses more than 1,000 artificial muscles called myofibers, which the company claims contract even faster than human muscles. These muscles are made of mesh tubes containing balloons filled with hydraulic fluid. A 500 Watt electric pump circulates this fluid at 40 liters per minute, in a way somewhat similar to how the human heart pumps blood.  

Moreover, just like we have sensory organs such as eyes and skin, Protoclone also comes equipped with four depth cameras to see things around it, 320 pressure sensors to sense force and touch, helping it adjust its grip and balance, and 70 sensors in its joints to track movement and positioning.  

According to Clone Robotics, these sensors will not only allow Protoclone to perform various tasks but also enable it to learn new ones by observing human actions. However, despite such promising features and a flexible muscle system, the humanoid has one big limitation.

Not muscular enough

Protoclone can’t stand on its own yet. Its skeleton system is still not sturdy enough to support its body while maintaining a stable posture. This is why the humanoid robot is shown suspended from the ceiling by wires like a rag doll. Clone Robotics plans to take orders by late 2025, so hopefully, by then, the android will be able to walk on its own.

The other limitation is, frankly, it’s appearance. Despite its musco-skeleton mimicry, ProtoClone didn’t opt for a human-like face. It’s a design that it sure to evoke discomfort in a lot of people as its aesthetics resemble menacing androids from SciFi flicks.

In the first phase of production, they will develop 279 units. The final market-ready version of Protoclone will be sold under the name Clone Alpha. The company claims that the robot will only require electricity and water to power itself. It will be strong, durable, and lightweight but have a body “as plush as a stuffed animal.”

Clone Alpha will face direct competition from Tesla’s Optimus, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, Fourier Intelligence’s GR-1, and Hanson Robotics’ Sophia. Only time will tell which one of these will emerge as the android of choice.