Protoclone V1 (robot)

History

2025: Product Announcement

American-Polish startup Clone Robotics on February 20, 2025 introduced the world's first robot with an anatomically accurate musculoskeletal system - Protoclone V1. The development is equipped with more than 200 degrees of freedom, 1000 myofibrils and 500 sensors, which allows it to reproduce complex movements characteristic of humans. The company said that this robot will be the "starting point" of a new era in the development of android technologies.

A 40-second video showing the robot was published on platform X and collected millions of views in a few hours. On the recording, Protoclone, suspended in the workshop, performs dynamic movements, and his face is hidden behind a black reflective mask.

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Фото: Clone Robotics

The innovative android combines synthetic systems that mimic human skeletal, muscular, vascular and neural structures, which significantly distinguishes it from existing humanoid robots. Clone Robotics positions its development as the world's first bipedal android with a full musculoskeletal system that is as close as possible to the human one.

The prototype operates on pneumatic drives, but as the project develops, it is planned to switch to hydraulic systems that will ensure more efficient operation of artificial muscles.

The company's co-founder Dhanush Radhakrishna highlights the project's ambitious goal of creating robots virtually indistinguishable from living people down to the deepest layers of anatomy. Developers aspire to hyperrealism, unlike many other humanoid manufacturers, who retain an apparently machine aesthetic in their models.

Dar Sleeper, head of development at 1X Technologies, after reviewing the development, called the robot's design "cooler and creepier" than expected. Public reaction to the presented android ranges from admiration to fear, highlighting the conflicting perceptions of such technologies.^[1]

Notes