The internet fears Protoclone, the human robot that bleeds
Clone Robotics just brought the very essence of your worst nightmares to life in gleaming, astonishing, graphic detail.
The Polish startup posted a video on X of Protoclone, a faceless, anatomically accurate synthetic human hanging from strings in the ceiling.
"Protoclone, the world's first bipedal, musculoskeletal android," Clone Robotics introduced in the video that has now been seen by more than 33 million people on the platform. It has over "200 degrees of freedom, over 1,000 Myofibers, and 500 sensors." It has synthetic organ systems. You can "stab it with a fork and it will bleed out."
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The video shows the robot twitching, and there's ominous music playing in the background. It is like they specifically created the video to look like a scene in a horror film — and that's pretty much the take the internet responded with.
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No matter your personal thoughts about the evolution of robotics — be them problematic, life-altering, boring, terrifying, or an exploration of the new frontier — it is clear that this specific video perhaps wasn't intended to lull us into a sense of calm.
Christianna Silva is a senior culture reporter covering social platforms and the creator economy, with a focus on the intersection of social media, politics, and the economic systems that govern us. Since joining Mashable in 2021, they have reported extensively on meme creators, content moderation, and the nature of online creation under capitalism.
Before joining Mashable, they worked as an editor at NPR and MTV News, a reporter at Teen Vogue and VICE News, and as a stablehand at a mini-horse farm. You can follow her on Bluesky @christiannaj.bsky.social and Instagram @christianna_j.
