Featuring a white humanoid robot with water-powered muscles

Polish robotics company Clone Robotics presented its latest achievement – a humanoid torso capable of human-like movements. The demo video shows the robot in ghostly white, creepy enough to deserve a role in a horror movie. But under the hood, the humanoid has amazing engineering.

Companies like Tesla have introduced two-legged bots that can jump and dance and are ready to help people with everyday tasks. Compared to this, a humanoid torso that can only perform certain movements can seem a bit boring.

But Clone Robotics isn't trying to provide household help. Founded in 2021, the company works on biomimetic robotics in which robots move with the strength and agility of biological beings. The company chose one of the most complex models – human body.

Clone Robotics began its journey by developing a robotic arm with artificial bones and muscles that can work just like its human counterpart. She has a thumb that can rotate and even catch the ball without touching it. The company's next step was to create a human body. It looks creepy because it looks so much like the real thing.

On its YouTube page, the company writes that the torso features an "activated elbow, cervical spine (neck) and anthropomorphic shoulders with sternoclavicular-mastoid, acromial-clavicular, scapulothoracic and humero-ulnar joints.

Rather than trying to achieve the movements possible with a robotic rig, Clone first recreated anatomy of the human body, and then practiced the movements with the help of artificial muscles.

Clone Torso has a lightweight frame that contains various components and provides structural support. In the video, the torso is placed on a support and has a head-like appendage. The entire body is covered with white leather to protect the electronic components.

The movements are achieved with the help of a system of pumps and valves that work on batteries and ensure the circulation of water. The torso has a water container and uses a hydraulic system to push water through tubes to achieve the required bend and activate tendons to reproduce muscle movements.

For now, Clone Robotics does not aim to deploy these robots in your home Instead, robots will replace humans on industrial assembly or production lines without losing agility or functionality. Its systems can also be used to perform household tasks that involve moving or manipulating objects with the hands.

The company also envisions its robotic arms as a medical tool for patient rehabilitation. Using telesurgery to remotely control the arm, patients could ease their rehabilitation and regain muscle function.

It is not yet clear whether the company plans to ever create an entire humanoid. Since it also works overhead, the day is not far off when a humanoid with human-like muscular dexterity can do the housework for us.