If you haven’t noticed, robots are becoming a lot more humanlike.
A growing and eclectic array of companies are developing AI-powered robots that increasingly move, walk, talk and look like real people. In 2025, some of them intend to manufacture and release their humanoids into the world for use at work and at home.
Among them is Clone Robotics, whose flagship humanoid has been compared to the creations in the HBO show Westworld. Clone, which operates out of the US and Poland, says it’s releasing only 279 of its new Clone Alpha androids in 2025.
According to Clone, the Alpha robots are muscuskeletal androids designed for the home. The design includes synthetic organ systems for skeletal, muscular, vascular, and nervous functions. The startup says the robot walks naturally thanks to its unique design that mimics human anatomy.
They’re trained with Clone’s so-called Telekinesis training platform. Clone says the robots will come with pre-installed skills including memorizing home layouts and kitchen inventories, shaking hands, pouring drinks, making sandwiches, doing laundry, and vacuuming.
Owners will be able to have witty conversations with their Clones, which also charge themselves. Clone boasted that Alpha’s hands are strong, fast, and soft with a human-like range of motion. The dexterity surpasses the third-generation Tesla Bot’s prototype hand, with 27 degrees of freedom (DoF) compared to Tesla’s 22 DoF.
Dhanush Radhakrishnan launched Clone Robotics with Łukasz Koźlik in 2021. On the X social media platform, Radhakrishnan said they are building the androids they want for themselves.
The co-founder said pricing is to be determined but expect it to be costly. He likened it to a limited-edition supercar. However, he said the mass market iteration of the robot will be obtainable by the general public.
We're building the android we want for ourselves. https://t.co/nobnMznehq
— Necromancer (@dhanushisrad) December 5, 2024
Humanoid robots are starting to become a status symbol, which is expected to continue in 2025 as production scales. Companies like Tesla, Figure, and 1X that are aggressively racing toward mass production say they’re aiming for their robots to eventually cost the same as a non-luxury car. Experts predict that within the next 5 years, humanoid robots at home could start becoming normal.
The number of droids Clone is releasing may be a reference to Westworld. In one of the last episodes of the fourth season, a main character is revealed to be the 279th attempt to re-create his consciousness in an artificial body. When the episode aired in 2022, Screen Rant noted, “Westworld puts a suspiciously heavy emphasis upon Caleb #279, and unlike the others, the audience actually witness his creation in the episode’s final moments.”
In the show, humanlike robots are called host drones and they’re entirely artificial. The host drones populate a massive theme park that offers immersive experiences to wealthy guests. The patrons can interact with the hosts any way they choose without consequence. Their programming and realistic materials make them seem almost human, which is the same aesthetic Clone aims for.
Clone says it’s building power-dense androids with anthropomorphic traits to solve everyday challenges. The use of the word “android” is notable.
All androids are humanoids but not all humanoid robots are androids.
Humanoid robots can be very simple and mechanical. They often look dramatically different than real people. They have unique features like glowing eyes, metallic surfaces, unorthodox head shapes, minimalist faces or no face at all. Simply put, a humanoid robot has a human form factor but looks like a machine.
Conversely, androids aim to look as human as possible. They have skin, eyes, hair, and are engineered to mimic genuine facial expressions. Most of the humanoid robots making waves today do not meet the technical definition of android. Exceptions include Sophia by Hanson Robotics, Ameca by Engineered Arts, and hyper-realistic creations by China-based EX Robot.
Clone goes a bit further, however, by saying it’s working toward synthetic humans. The startup has secured top talent to reach that goal, including the co-founder of NVIDIA’s Isaac Gym, which is used to train and simulate advanced robotics and AI systems in highly realistic virtual environments.
Clone has 11 open jobs listed on its website, with engineering and technician roles in Poland, and research and software positions in the Bay Area.
The startup says it’s also working on a project called Neo that explores Clone’s vision of a limitless future for human beings.