Tesla will release a humanoid robot – what does it mean

Tesla to introduce friendly humanoid robot Tesla Bot in 2022

What’s going on

• Tesla plans to introduce the anthropomorphic robot Tesla Bot in 2022. This was announced by CEO Elon Musk during a speech at the Day of Artificial Intelligence.

• The robot was codenamed “Optimus”. It is assumed that the robot will weigh 56 kg and reach a height of 172 cm. Instead of a face, the robot will be equipped with a special screen to display useful information.
• Tesla Bot will also be equipped with an artificial intelligence system and a set of sensors for spatial orientation, which are already used for autonomous driving in the company’s electric cars.
• Tesla Bot is designed to be friendly – it can help people with boring routine tasks like going to the grocery store.
• In addition, the company designs the robot in such a way that, if necessary, a person can run away from it. The maximum speed of the Tesla Bot will be just over 8 km/h.
• Elon Musk stressed that the robot is not intended to help Tesla manufacture, but later the use of a humanoid robot can transform the global economy by reducing labor costs.

What does it mean

The development of humanoid robots has been going on for many years. Back in 2000, the Japanese corporation Honda introduced the ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) android robot; Toyota (the third-generation humanoid robot T-HR3) and General Motors (R2, created in collaboration with NASA) have similar analogues.

In addition, Hanson Robotics introduced the humanoid robot Sophia in 2015, which became the first humanoid to receive citizenship – in 2017, Sophia became a citizen of Saudi Arabia. Hanson Robotics plans to open mass sales of Sofia in 2021.

However, Elon Musk went even further – Tesla Bot will not only be able to communicate with people and perform simple tasks, it will become a real assistant for a person. It is also worth noting that Musk first presented the robot in terms of a possible human collision with him, thereby refuting the fears of supporters of a possible “rebellion of the machines”.