Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, said this week that the company's humanoid robot will one day be the most valuable aspect of the company's business. The significance of the robot, dubbed Optimus, will become clear in the coming years, Musk said during Tesla's first-quarter earnings call.
The Technoking added, “I was surprised that people do not realize the magnitude of the Optimus robot program. Those who are insightful or who listen carefully will understand that Optimus ultimately will be worth more than the car business and worth more than full self-driving. That’s my firm belief.”
The first models of the bipedal robot are expected to come next year, according to Musk, though experts are doubtful about that timeline. Musk is well-known for his excessively optimistic forecasts. He is years behind schedule on a 2016 pledge that Tesla will provide self-driving cars by 2017, and he recently stated that Tesla is "not actively working" on a $25,000 self-driving vehicle that he promised would be available by 2023.
Here's all we know about Optimus so far.
It's designed to do a lot of the same things over and over again. Tesla's AI Day, a series of tech presentations hosted by the firm to lure machine learning talent, was where Musk initially introduced the robot last summer. Musk made the revelation by bringing onstage an actor clad in a robot-like bodysuit and having him dance for the audience.
Musk stated that the goal was to develop a machine that would reduce labour costs. He also said the goal was to develop a machine that would reduce labour costs. Musk's has the idea that it's designed to be nice and navigate around a world of humans, and to eliminate risky, repetitive, and boring chores.
Musk described a future in which the robot could also do errands for its human owners such as go to the store and get groceries. This may conjure up images of rogue robots taking over the world. But Musk said it won’t pose a threat to humans
Musk, who has previously cautioned about the perils of AI, also stated that the robot is being built such that humans will be able to outpace or overpower it if something goes wrong. While Optimus develops, the main aim to ensure it is safe. "No Terminator stuff or that kind of thing.”
According to Tesla, the robot would stand five feet eight inches tall and weigh 125 pounds. It can carry up to 45 pounds, lift up to 150 pounds, and go at a top speed of 5 miles per hour. It will have a "screen for useful information" on its face.
Optimus is Tesla's'most significant product,' according to Musk. Optimus was given a greater priority by Musk earlier this year than other hotly anticipated Tesla goods, such as the Cybertruck pickup truck and the Tesla Semi.
However, it remains to be seen whether Tesla will be able to keep Musk's claims. An AI researcher, Gary Marcus, explained earlier this month that he doubted Optimus could live up to the expectations by 2023.
Tesla has not even gotten close to reliably performing one relatively self-driving technology after years of effort; Musk believes it is ridiculous to imply that a robot that has never been publicly demonstrated can do all human tasks in the next year or two.
