Breaking Away From Traditional Robotics
While giants like Tesla (Optimus) and Boston Dynamics (Atlas) focus on motors, gears, and rigid metal frames, Clone Robotics is pursuing a radically different path. Their vision: robots built with artificial muscles, bones, and soft tissue, mimicking the anatomy and movement of living beings.
The company was founded by Łukasz Kozlik (CTO), who spent seven years studying human anatomy to replicate muscles and tendons with affordable materials, and Dhanush Radhakrishnan (CEO), a robotics enthusiast who saw the limitations of motor-driven systems.
The Core Technology: Myofiber
Clone Robotics developed Myofiber, an artificial muscle system inspired by McKibben actuators from the 1950s. Each Myofiber consists of a rubber tube encased in a woven mesh:
- When filled with fluid, the tube expands but contracts lengthwise due to the mesh.
- When pressure is released, the muscle relaxes.
A single Myofiber can endure 650,000 contraction cycles and enables a robotic finger to lift 7 kilograms.
The Clone Hand
Their flagship product, the Clone Hand, is described as the most anatomically accurate robotic hand ever built:
- 24 degrees of freedom
- 37 McKibben muscles
- Carbon-fiber bones and soft polymer tissue
Its lifelike dexterity allows it to grasp, bend, and manipulate small objects with uncanny realism. Even more striking: the cost is under $2,800, far cheaper than conventional robotic arms priced in the tens of thousands.
Engineering the System
The Clone Hand’s drive system includes:
- Independent electro-hydraulic valves for each arm branch
- A 500-watt brushless DC motor acting as a “heart” pump
- A 2-liter fluid reservoir for circulation
- Real-time control at 100 Hz
- Battery life of about 2 hours
Clone Robotics is also training its robots with AI brains capable of learning tasks by watching human demonstrations—sometimes in minutes, with the long-term goal of one-shot learning.
Beyond the Hand: Clone Torso
The company has also introduced the Clone Torso, featuring:
- 124 hydraulic muscles
- Carbon-fiber spine
- Flexible neck
- Raspberry Pi 4B processor
This expansion has attracted investment from figures like Trevor Blackwell (Y Combinator co-founder) and sparked demand from industries ranging from bakeries to landscaping services.
A Bold New Direction
Clone Robotics’ bio-inspired approach challenges the mainstream robotics paradigm. While durability and hydraulic optimization remain hurdles, their innovation has injected fresh energy into the field, offering a glimpse of a future where robots move, learn, and adapt more like humans than machines. |