Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, introduced a new anthropomorphic robot Optimus, transmits Archyde.com. Video from Tesla AI Day 2022 presentation published The Verge. According to Musk, the robot was developed back in February 2022.
A test prototype of the robot waved to the audience during the presentation, and Musk showed a video of the robot performing simple tasks like watering plants, carrying boxes, lifting metal bars at a manufacturing station in a California plant. The presented robot, according to Musk, is more advanced and close to the version that Tesla intends to put into production. In a few weeks, Musk said, Optimus will be able to walk. “I think Optimus will be incredible in 5 or 10 years, just mind blowing,” said the head of the company.
The next-generation robot will use components from Tesla, including a 2.3 kWh battery (to be housed in the torso), a chip system, and limb actuators. The robot will weigh 73 kg. The price of the model will be $20,000.
During the speech, Musk expressed hope that Tesla will be able to start accepting orders for the production of Optimus in three to five years, and described further development efforts with a view to more than a decade ahead. According to Musk, existing humanoid robots “lack brains” and the ability to solve problems on their own. Optimus, on the other hand, will be “an extremely capable robot.”
Tesla’s push to create a robot for the mass market sets the company apart from other manufacturers that have experimented with humanoid robots, Archyde.com notes. Musk himself at the presentation said that the demonstration of Optimus is part of an attempt to make Tesla a more significant company in the field of artificial intelligence and get rid of the status of a company that simply produces “cool cars”. Formerly Elon Musk spokethat the robot business could become even “more significant” than Tesla’s car business.
According to Musk, Tesla’s robotics business “is not directly related to accelerating the transition to sustainable energy,” which is inconsistent with Tesla’s stated mission. However, according to the founder of the company, with the advent of Optimus, the mission “has expanded somewhat” and now sounds something like this: “make the future amazing.”
The presentation was aimed at a technical audience in the hope of attracting engineers to the company, writes Archyde.com. Musk noted that the introduction of robots could “transform civilization” and create “a future of abundance, a future without poverty.” But he emphasized that he considers it important that the company be controlled by shareholders. “If I go crazy, you can fire me,” Musk said.
From the cost of the robot, it follows that this is a very cheap labor force: $ 1 per hour for 12 hours of daily work for 4 years. According to Archyde.com, Twitter feedback about Optimus has been mostly positive. Arizona State University robotics professor Henri Ben Amor told the agency that the $20,000 price tag is “a good deal,” as similar models currently cost around $100,000.