this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2025
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Terrifying

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 day ago (7 children)

It's clear they made this weird on purpose but still, so many questions...

the robot hangs suspended from the ceiling as its limbs twitch and kick, marking what the company claims is a step toward its goal of creating household-helper robots

Oh yeah, definitely a huge step in that direction...

Clone Robotics designed the Protoclone with a polymer skeleton that replicates 206 human bones

That's all of the bones of an human adult. Yeah, I'm sure absolutely all of them were necessary.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 day ago (5 children)

I don’t understand these companies’ obsession with humanoid robots. A robot doesn’t have to humanoid to be a useful household helper. It doesn’t even have to be humanoid for people to form a friendly bond with it (something I think would be a good quality in a “household helper”) just look at Star Wars droids

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 day ago

Some of this is also about less complicated ways to use patents that can also be applied to things like prosthetic limbs.

Also, it provides a control case with how well-studied human anatomy is. In terms of basic mechanical motion, there's a clear baseline goal.

I remember seeing early versions of the synthetic muscle fibers years ago, but as far as ways to practically apply them and test, and refine them as control technology improves with machine learning. 10-15 years ago, this wasn't really possible.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 22 hours ago

See also: Cogsworth

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A humanoid robot can operate in the existing world. It can climb stairs and open a door, for example. A robot on wheels without arms can't do that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Wouldn't a quadruped be easier? You can stick arms onto a robotic "dog".

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 hours ago

Crabs make even more sense. 6 legs makes climbing stairs even easier. 2 big arms to hold thing and manipulate doors, drawers etc.

Nature keeps making crabs, we should just cut to the chase.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

You could, but it still has to interact with things at and above human height, like stuff on countertops and high shelves.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

if you want it to interact with a wide range of environments and objects that were designed for humans, then a humanoid robot may be the way to go.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

It has to be humanoid to live among humans, using human architecture and technology.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 20 hours ago

Certainly doesn't need a hyoid bone.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

That's all of the bones of an human adult. Yeah, I'm sure absolutely all of them were necessary.

Are you trying to imply they gave it a dick? If so they don't have bones in them.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (3 children)

No, it's pretty much only you thinking that. The rest of us were thinking about the 6 tiny bones in the ears only used for hearing or dozens of weird little bones in the wrists and ankles.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Doesn’t mean they didn’t give it a dick though

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

Exactly, ear in particular was what I thought about. There are very tiny bones in there. I'm pretty sure they didn't replicate a functional human ear, so those have no impact on anything.

Many bones in the hand and foot are also locked in place together, so modeling each one seems, well, I don't think it's a waste of time, but at this point you're making an art performance.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Hmm, I have some questions to ask myself seemingly

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I have literally no idea how that came to your mind immediately. It's very funny to me that it did though.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Maybe they're attempting to make it 'learn' how to move itself using neural networking instead of programming discrete movement presets.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ooh yeah let’s hope that’s the case.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

the only thing I'm hoping for is that this can serve as a proof of concept that human brains might be able to learn to control limbs made of synthetic muscles like that...

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

It's definitely made that accurate/creepy for marketing reasons, they're probably hoping this will help them get investors. I would also assume you can simplify the human body design a good bit before losing the functionality we actually want from something like this.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How is it going to balance if it does not have a fake cochlea? /s

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

At first misread as cloaca. Barely even gave me pause in this thread.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

The goal is to replicate humans, so yeah