Tesla reveals humanoid robot called Tesla Bot

“In the future, physical work will be a choice, if you want to do it you can.”

American electric automaker Tesla said on Thursday (local time) that it will develop a humanoid robot called, “Tesla Bot,” choosing artificial intelligence (AI) robot as its future growth engine following automobile and officially announcing its advance into a new business.

During Tesla’s AI Day event held at the Silicon Valley on the day, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Tesla Bot will be capable of performing tasks that are “unsafe, repetitive, or boring,” and its prototype should be available next year. “Tesla is arguable the world’s biggest robotics company,” Musk said confidently, adding, “Our cars are basically semi-sentient robots on wheels.” Codenamed Optimus, the Tesla Bot is expected to be applied with Tesla’s cutting-edge technologies, including Autopilot features and the Dojo supercomputer system.

Musk introduced the Tesla Bot in his presentation titled, “What’s Next For AI Beyond Our Vehicle Fleet,” detailing its specifications. Musk said the Tesla Bot is “meant to be friendly, navigate the human world,” adding it will be able to go to the store for groceries. Like the humanoid robot in the film “I, Robot,” Tesla’s humanoid robot is expected to run errands or play the role of an assistant for humans.

The unveiled Tesla Bot is going to be around 5.8 feet tall and 125 pounds, and will run as fast as 5 miles per hour. It is capable of carrying 45 pounds thanks to 40 electric actuators attached to its arms, legs, neck, and joints.

Although the official purpose of the event was to recruit AI talent, people paid more attention to the new technologies Tesla will unveil. Tesla also unveiled the D1 chip independently designed by the automaker for its Dojo supercomputer system. Dojo, which would be operational next year, is expected to significantly improve autonomous driving performance by advancing AI technologies that recognize and process vast amounts of data collected by cameras on vehicles.


Dong-Jin Shin shine@donga.com