Elon Musk says Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will eventually cost ‘less than a car’

Elon Musk shared new details about Tesla‘s Optimus humanoid robot – including information about the cost and likely uses for it – in an essay published online. 

The robot, which is intended for industrial and domestic uses, will debut at AI Day September 30 after first being announced at AI Day in August 2021.

‘Tesla Bots are initially positioned to replace people in repetitive, boring, and dangerous tasks. But the vision is for them to serve millions of households, such as cooking, mowing lawns, and caring for the elderly,’ Musk wrote in the essay published in China Cyberspace magazine. 

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The mogul explained that the android, which will have human-like limbs and features, was deliberately designed that way.

‘The Tesla Bot is close to the height and weight of an adult, can carry or pick up heavy objects, walk fast in small steps, and the screen on its face is an interactive interface for communication with people. 

‘You may wonder why we designed this robot with legs. Because human society is based on the interaction of a bipedal humanoid with two arms and ten fingers. 

‘So if we want a robot to adapt to its environment and be able to do what humans do, it has to be roughly the same size, shape, and capabilities as a human,’ Musk explained. 

The CEO confirmed that he’s planning to focus on improving the bot’s intelligence and solving the problem of large-scale production after revealing a prototype next month. 

‘Thereafter, humanoid robots’ usefulness will increase yearly as production scales up and costs fall. In the future, a home robot may be cheaper than a car. Perhaps in less than a decade, people will be able to buy a robot for their parents as a birthday gift,’ he said.

The Tesla bot, which would be 5’8 and weigh 125 pounds, is set to include the Autopilot computer used in the company’s electric cars, which will allow the humanoid to recognize real-world objects, although the robot will have its own customized sensors and actuators.

It will also be able to ‘deadlift’ up to 150 pounds, carry 45 pounds, walk 5 miles per hour and have human-like hands plus visual sensors giving it the ability to ‘see.’ 

Tesla’s Autopilot cameras will be fitted in the front of the bot’s head and its inner-workings will be powered by the company’s Full Self-Driving computer. The bots will be apparently operate through Tesla’s Full Self-Driving computer interface, which is what’s in the Tesla Model 3, X, S, Y and Roadster.

Previously released renderings have shown that it could end up looking like the ‘NS5’ robots in the 2004 film I, Robot. But for anyone worried about a Terminator-style situation, Musk tried to set those fears to rest as well.

‘It’s intended to be friendly, of course,’ Musk said during the initial Tesla Bot announcement last year. ‘And navigate through a world built for humans.’

The tech leader said at the initial presentation that humans would be able to outrun and overpower the Tesla Optimus if they needed to.

During a question period following Tesla’s AI Day last year, Musk said: ‘We should be worried about AI. What we’re trying to do here at Tesla is make useful AI that people love and is … unequivocally good.’ 

Robots are already being used for a wide range of tasks in industrial settings by companies including Amazon and Walmart.