Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, presented a prototype of ''Optimus,'' a humanoid robot, predicting that the electric vehicle manufacturer would be able to produce millions of items and sell them for under $20,000 (approximate Rs. 16,33,000) - less than a third of the price of a Model Y.
"There''s still a lot of work to be done in order to refine Optimus and prove it," Musk told the Tesla employee, which was held at a Tesla office in Palo Alto, California, where the robot was showcased.
A prototype model Tesla claimed to be developed in February but was turned out to wave at the crowd on Friday, and Tesla showed a video of it doing simple tasks, such as watering plants, carrying boxes, and lifting metal bars at a manufacturing facility at the company''s California facility.
The current generation bot was rolled out on a cart, and Musk said he hopes it would be able to walk itself early.
He claims that existing humanoid robots are missing a brain and the ability to deal with their own problems. By contrast, Optimus would be an "extremely capable robot" Tesla would aim to produce in the millions. He said he expects it to cost less than $20,000 (roughly Rs. 16,33,000).
Representatives of Musk and Tesla have acknowledged that there must be a lot of work to get a mass-produced, low-cost robot, which would be capable of resupplying humans at work.
- Tesla Recalls Over 1 Million Cars Over Faulty Automatic Window Reversing Software
Other automobile manufacturers, including Toyota and Honda, have developed humanoid robot prototypes capable of doing complex things like shooting a basketball, and ABB and other companies have established autonomous robots.
Tesla is jeopardized in pushing the market for a mass-market robot that might be used in factory work.
A next-generation Tesla bot, which was rolled on stage by staff, will utilize Tesla-designed components, including a 2.3kWh battery pack wrapped in its torso, a chip system, and actuators to drive its limbs. The robot is aimed to weigh 73 kilograms.
It wasn''t quite ready to walk. I think it will walk in a few weeks, according to Musk.
The engineers on stage offered assistance with a technical audience. They explained the process by which Tesla designed robot hands and used crash-simulator technology to test the robot''s ability to fall on its face without breaking.
Musk, who has previously discussed artificial intelligence, said the mass use of robots had the potential to transform civilization and to create a future of abundance and a future of no poverty. But he said, however, that Tesla''s shareholders had an essential role in examining the company''s actions.
If I go crazy, you may fire me, according to Musk. This is extremely important.
Many tweets were positive, focusing on Tesla''s speed of development since August last year, when Tesla announced its project with a stunt that had a person wearing a white suit simulate a humanoid robot.
Henri Ben Amor, a researcher in robotics at Arizona State University, believes Musk''s $20,000 price target is a "good proposition" given that current costs are roughly $100,000 (roughly Rs. 82,00,000) for humanoid robots.
"There''s a difference between the ambition and what they have presented," said the narrator. "When it comes to dexterity speed, the ability to walk in a stable manner, and so on, there''s still a lot of work to be done."
Aaron Johnson, a Carnegie Mellon University mechanical engineer, said the robot''s need was debatable.
"What is really impressive" is that they reached that level so quickly. "What is still a bit murky is what exactly the use case is for them to make millions," Johnson said.
At the event, engineers working on the auto self-driving software described how they enlisted software to choose actions, such as when to merge into traffic, and how they improved the computer decision-making process.
Musk said in May that the world''s most valuable automobile manufacturer would be "worth basically zero" without achieving full self-driving capability, and that it is facing increasing regulatory probes as well as technological obstacles.
Musk claims to expect Tesla to achieve complete self-driving this year, and mass produce a robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedal by 2024.
Musk promised a million robotaxis by 2020 at an Autonomy event, but has yet to deliver such a vehicle.
Thomson Reuters in 2022