A new one for me. While rummaging around new car info I came across this device. It might help to protect a DMF and assist learners with clutch control.
It sounds like a recipe for rapid clutch wear to me. The secret of long clutch life is to pull away at idling speed before accelerating, and on the move to match engine and gearbox speeds so that with no slippage clutch engagement can be as fast as you like.
This device seems in effect to simulate the action of a torque converter, but on a plate clutch that will burn out if you treat it like that.
BMW has been fitting these as standard to many manual models for some years now. In my experience, these valves rob all "feel" from the clutch pedal, and make achieving a smooth gear change a complete lottery even after 3 years and 60,000 miles of familiarity.
A common aftermarket mod is to either change the valve for one with modified ports to give more direct operation, or to remove and bin the thing altogether.