Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, unveils Optimus, a humanoid robot.
Elon Musk has shown off a prototype of Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, which the electric vehicle manufacturer intends to mass create in the millions and sell for less than 18,000 pounds.
The business magnate worth a billion dollars stated that he anticipated the company will be ready to begin accepting orders in three to five years.
It distinguishes itself from other manufacturers that have dabbled in humanoid machine research by actively pursuing the design and construction of mass-market robots that would also be put through their paces by performing tasks in the company’s factories.
Mr. Musk is attempting to present Tesla as a pioneer in sectors such as artificial intelligence, and not only as a firm that creates “awesome cars,” and the debut of the prototype robots at Tesla’s office in Palo Alto, California, is a part of this effort.
During a presentation that took place on Friday, an experimental test robot that Tesla claimed had been developed in February strolled out slowly onto a stage, turned around, and waved to an audience that was cheering for it.
Additionally, the business presented a video that demonstrated employees at one of the company’s production stations in California carrying out routine activities such as lifting metal bars, transporting boxes, and watering plants.
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 1, 2022
But first, a more simplified version of the existing model had to be revealed and rolled out while Mr. Musk gave a slow wave to the audience. He claimed that this version was closer to what he planned to put into production.
Mr. Musk, who was instrumental in the establishment of both the online payment service PayPal and the rocket maker SpaceX, gave the robot the name Optimus and said that it will be able to walk “within a few weeks.”
He continued by saying, “There is still a great deal of work to be done to improve Optimus and demonstrate that it works.”
However, he continued by saying, “I believe Optimus is going to be fantastic in five or ten years, like mind-blowing.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2022
Musk stated that existing humanoid robots lacked a “brain” and the capacity to figure out solutions to issues on their own.
On the other hand, Optimus would be a “very capable robot,” according to what he claimed.
Tesla is the only automaker that is pursuing the opportunity for a mass-market robot that could also be used in factory work. While other automakers, such as Toyota and Honda, have developed humanoid robot prototypes that are capable of performing complex tasks, Tesla is the only automaker that is pursuing this opportunity.
The Tesla bot of the next generation will include components that were built by Tesla, such as a battery pack that has a capacity of 2.3 kWh and will be carried in its torso. It is expected to weigh 73 kilograms.
Tesla engineers, who along with Musk were all wearing black T-shirts with an image of metallic robotic hands making a heart shape, described how they developed the features of the robot, including in areas such as how the fingers move, with a focus on making the cost of production lower. Musk and the Tesla engineers were all wearing black T-shirts with the same image.
Musk has stated that the company is working toward the objective of achieving “the fastest path to a usable robot that can be built at volume.”
Musk, who has previously discussed the dangers of artificial intelligence, stated that the widespread deployment of robots has the ability to “change society” and to produce “a future of abundance, a future with no poverty.”
The majority of responses on social media were favorable, with many users praising the rapid pace at which Tesla has been developing its product since August of last year, when the company announced its project with a publicity stunt that involved a person dressed in a white suit imitating a humanoid robot.
According to Henri Ben Amor, a professor of robotics at Arizona State University, the price target of $20,000 (£17,937) was a “decent offer” given that the current prices for humanoid robots was approximately $100,000 (£89,686) in total.
On the other hand, he stated that “There is some disparity between sort of the ambition and what they have presented.”
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