Tesla CEO Elon Musk presented a prototype of the company’s humanoid robot “Optimus” adding they will be ready to take orders for the US$20,000 (S$26,000) robot in three to five years.
Optimus has biologically inspired hands with opposable thumbs, and is made to be useful in any setting, noted Tesla in a Tweet on Oct 1.
Optimus has biologically inspired hands, made to be useful in any setting pic.twitter.com/octnlLOYxY
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 1, 2022
Tesla predicts it could produce millions of humanoid robots for a price less than a third of a Model Y.
Mr Musk added that the robot took over a decade of effort and design and could become bigger than Tesla’s electric vehicle revenue.
Optimus, the most streamlined prototype and close to what Mr Musk hoped to mass produce, was unveiled to the public recently, as he did a slow wave to the audience.
Although it had to be rolled out to the platform, Mr Musk said Optimus would be able to walk in a few weeks.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done to refine Optimus and prove it, but it is going to be incredible in five or 10 years, like mind-blowing,” he added.
Artificial intelligence and autopilot have always been present in Tesla’s products, including the Tesla Bot, which aims to be the next generation of automation.
The company is developing humanoid robots capable of performing tasks that are unsafe, repetitive, or boring.
Qualified individuals can join the team of developers, as Tesla is hiring in this department.
“We’re seeking mechanical, electrical, controls and software engineers to help us leverage our AI expertise beyond our vehicle fleet,” the company notes on its website. /TISG
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