Is this the future of robotics ? Image Credit: YouTube / Clone
A company in Poland has created a humanoid robot with life-like synthetic muscles and translucent skin.
In 'The Terminator' movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 is comprised of a solid metal endoskeleton surrounded by living tissue, giving him the appearance of a normal human.
Now Polish startup Clone Robotics has come up with a prototype for a new type of robot that could easily be imagined as a stepping stone toward something very similar to the T-800.
Known as Protoclone, the robot has been described as a synthetic human that has a body that looks a lot like actual human flesh with synthetic skin and muscles that are eerily life-like.
In recently released footage, the prototype can be seen suspended from an apparatus while its limbs flail and move around in a disconcertingly realistic manner.
The fact that its head is just a black visor and little else doesn't exactly help.
Described by the firm as "the world's first bipedal, musculoskeletal android," Protoclone takes a different approach to most modern robots by trying to emulate the muscles, joints and ligaments of an actual human body.
"The Protoclone is a faceless, anatomically accurate, synthetic human with over 200 degrees of freedom, over 1,000 Myofibers, and over 200 sensors," the firm wrote.
The current version is powered by pneumatics, but there are plans to switch this to hydraulics.
Whether or not Protoclone represents the future of robotics, however, remains to be seen.
The next generation may very well see Smart Phones in antique stores next to vcr's and tape decks. Everyone will probably have their own personal robot. Sammy, what is the temp outside? Please gather suitable outfits for the kids and lay them out on their beds. We will be dining at 7pm...please have supper ready beforehand taking into consideration Hydration and Nutritional aspects for Suzy's upcoming swim meet! I'll be leaving work promptly at 5. Please have the car ready and warmed up in parking spot A17_32561_1211DB2.
"His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips." Mary Shelley, "Frankenstein".
(shrugs) I don't see anything particularly creepy about its appearance; I am far more concerned about what it is that it will be used for and I can assure you that benevolence is not going to be a primary or secondary choice (more like a passing after-thought). These things have always been created, first and foremost, for militaristic functions. I have yet to see any robot whose sole purpose was to assist people, be companions, study partners, assist in rescue operations and so forth. That is what makes me apprehensive.
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