[Ultron]

I didn't know there were prototypes out there... I have been thinking about such designs myself for quite a while. I suppose the downfall is that they are either too hard to maintain or not powerful enough (look up pneumatic air muscles - the only inorganic, flexible actuator that I know of) or both - along with the expense of making such a system in the first place.


 They are also make it somewhat more challenging for the programmers - automating a system of 160 pneumatics, compressors and solenoid valves is much harder then creating a system of 20-30 servos (no matter how powerful).


Anyway, the article...
http://www.techngadgets.com/32702/kenshiro-a-humanoid-robot-with-lifelike-bones-and-muscle/


They certainly look nice and also have a much wider degree of freedom. The more accurate these robots become in terms of mimicking humans, the closer we are to being able to create and observe the creation of humanoid intelligence (A.I.). Bear in mind this also requires the addition of many sensors... Humans, for example, posses 500.000 pressure sensors under the skin (don't quote my biology facts).

[DemonRaven]

Well there are things called muscle wires but i am unsure if this could be applied in any feasible way to a  robot of any size.

[Don Patrick]

Ecce robot has been around for a while. http://www6.in.tum.de/Main/ResearchEccerobot

[Ultron]

Yes I have previously 'met' Ecce... Sadly he is made out of sturdy actuators - hydraulic cylinders, to be exact. These, while powerful, require a lot of power, maintainability, tubing, additional equipment (compressors, many electronic valves) and cannot be bended.


I suppose the one I originally posted is superior due to it's choice of muscles and all of the traits that come along with them. Also, Ecce lacks degrees of freedom due to the smaller amount of actuators in general.


In the end they are all good projects and with every project something new is learned... Every robotic platform such as the two we have seen in this thread have the potential to become something much more (not Skynet). So critics aimed at any of these projects is, pointless.