Robot with lifelike movements developed
Technology
Some social media users seemed to be disturbed
(Web Desk) - While we may be impressed by their artificial intelligence, humanoids often have an awkward, clunky gait.
Now, experts have developed a robot with astonishingly lifelike movements – thanks to synthetic muscles beneath translucent skin.
Polish startup Clone Robotics has shared a terrifying new clip of Protoclone, its 'faceless, anatomically accurate synthetic human'.
Like something from the Terminator movies, the 6-foot prototype machine hangs from the ceiling in the company's secretive development workshop.
As ominous music plays, Protoclone twitches its limbs back and forth with its head bowed, like a puppet brought to life in a mad scientist's lab.
Protoclone is described as 'the world's first bipedal, musculoskeletal android' – one with fake bones, joints, tendons and muscles that can walk on two legs.
The firm posted the viral clip to X (Twitter), but with mixed reactions – with one describing it as 'awesome' and another calling it 'spooky'.
Some social media users seemed to be disturbed by the faceless droid, with one saying: 'Can you just draw a smiley face on the head, please?'
Someone else posted: 'It's not human in any way, shape or form', while another simply said: 'We had a good run, fellow humans.'
Yet another commentator said: 'While every normal person looks at dystopian sci-fi films as cautionary tales, nerds see them as instruction manuals.'
Clone Robotics touts the humanoid machine as bipedal – but the clip only shows it hanging from strings as it moves about frantically.
Protoclone is yet to demonstrate its walking capabilities, unlike rival bots such as Elon Musk's Optimus and Boston Dynamics' Atlas.
