Training Musculoskeletal Androids With Neural Control Systems" By Maciej Bakowicz

When you hear the phrase "humanoid robotics," you probably immediately imagine something akin to an audio-animatronic from a theme park or something out of The Terminator, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong. The traditional idea of a humanoid robot is driven by metal and gears functioning just beneath the surface to help create movement and an illusion of life.

However, these kinds of humanoid robotics are outdated and rarely used in modern industries.

The entire purpose of a humanoid robot is to be capable of performing human-like tasks. However, there is a growing need for a more nuanced and capable iteration of human robotics with the adaptability required for more complex interactions.​

Fortunately, Research Engineer Maciej Bakowicz is working on precisely that. In addition to being a Research Engineer, Bakowicz is also the Chief of Staff at Clone, a Polish humanoid robotics startup that is working to develop soft, musculoskeletal, and superintelligent androids, where he focuses on designing software controllers that integrate seamlessly with machine learning and AI systems to create more capable, accomplished, and sophisticated human robotics with full-blown neural control systems.

Introducing Maciej Bakowicz

Bakowicz began his career as a Working Student at Nokia during his last year of college. What started as a university collaboration project ended up with him becoming a part-time employee for two years while still in college and transitioning to a full-time role.

At Nokia, Bakowicz focused mainly on end-client, internal use applications for BTS (Base Transceiver Station) statistics and configuration interfaces.

After graduating, Bakowicz remained on the Nokia team for three more years as a Software Development Specialist before transitioning into a Technical Leader role. This was a more organizational position in which he supervised other engineers and architecture planners.

He then took on his current role at Clone, where his technical expertise enabled him to lead his team in creating a naive teleoperation system for musculoskeletal androids that allowed for control without feedback.​

Bakowicz has developed a strong reputation for quickly delivering high-quality results without excessive revisions or follow-ups. He has been trusted to jump in and assist with many critical projects, especially when the team needs technical expertise to meet tight deadlines, and has consistently delivered exceptional results.

Bakowicz's leadership now extends to overseeing international teams and mentoring junior engineers​, demonstrating how critical his role at Clone is to their innovative work.

Challenges Faced

Designing control systems that allow humanoid robots to move and interact as naturally as humans is complicated. For centuries, humankind has studied itself to garner further knowledge about its creation and how bodies function.

This is knowledge that we still don't fully have, making replicating human functionality all the more difficult. But by incorporating real-time AI-driven decision-making into the process, Bakowicz and his team at Clone have made significant strides.

Integrating electronics, low-level systems, and AI to achieve smooth, proportional robot movements​ has proved incredibly difficult, even without factoring in the development challenges and considerable resistance surrounding subjects like AI that Bakowicz has encountered.  With ethical considerations and AI still being a highly controversial subject, even in scientifically minded circles, Bakowicz and his team have seen even more obstacles between them and their success.

The Solution to the Problem

Bakowicz and his team are overcoming their development challenges by creating and implementing high-level controllers that integrate machine learning algorithms to ensure robots are more responsive and human-like.

"We're developing human-like androids. I've been responsible for building the high-level software controller, and recently, we achieved a naive teleoperation system," Bakowicz explains. "This system allows users to control a robot hand using proportional muscle actuation without needing feedback from the robot, which has been crucial for showcasing the robot's capabilities to a wider audience."

Bakowicz's role in the project has involved integrating the actuation controller, setting up Motion Capture glove integration, and writing the software that enables cross-platform operation. He also continuously improves the system's performance and stability, enhancing the robot's responsiveness and speed.

Beyond being a ground-breaking technical achievement, this project exemplifies Bakowicz's vision of how robotics can be seamlessly integrated into day-to-day life and have the potential to play a crucial role in humanity's future.

Practical Applications and Future Impact

The success of this project has the potential to completely redefine human robotics as we know it. Thanks to the advanced control systems being developed by Bakowicz and his team at Clone, musculoskeletal androids of this kind could play an integral role in many important sectors, such as healthcare, home assistance, and other different industries.

"As a Software Engineer and Chief of Staff, my role is to ensure the robot's performance, controllability, and smooth internal collaboration, laying the foundation for this technology to push the industry toward more human-like robotics," Bakowicz elaborates. "While it's a collective achievement, I'm proud to be part of this effort that has the potential to reshape the future of humanoid robots."

Bakowicz's ultimate goal with the project extends far beyond simply creating functioning musculoskeletal androids. He hopes to develop noninvasive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing ​robots so that they stand the best chance of being embraced by the public and truly redefine the human experience.

Call to Action for Developers

"I want to contribute to the home robot movement, where robots become a natural and accepted part of the household—something people are proud to have, without being creepy or awkward. I envision robots that integrate seamlessly into daily life in a noninvasive way, much like smartphones or other standard technology. Ultimately, I aspire to continue to simplify human life by developing systems and technologies that improve human-robot interaction, making it as natural and unobtrusive as possible," Bakowicz concludes.

As Bakowicz and his team at Clone continue to push forward into innovative and uncharted territory, he hopes their work will also encourage developers and engineers to explore AI integration in control systems, potentially inviting collaboration or open-source contributions.

The future of humankind is changing, and Maciej Bakowicz's expertise and contributions at Clone will continue to play a pivotal role in creating advanced controllers that improve the adaptability and performance of human-like robots.