Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed a prototype of a humanoid robot that he said utilizes the company's AI software, as well as the sensors that power its advanced driver assist features. The Verge reports:
The robot was showcased at Tesla's AI Day, and reps said it features the same technology used to enable the Full Self-Driving beta in Tesla's cars. According to Musk, it can do more than what has been shown, but "the first time it walked without a tether was tonight on stage." Musk said they're targeting a price of "probably less than $20,000." The back doors of the stage open to reveal a deconstructed Optimus that walked forward and did a "raise the roof" dance move. Musk would admit after the motion that they wanted to keep it safe and not make too many moves on stage and have it "fall flat on its face." "It'll be a fundamental transformation for civilization as we know it." said Musk.
Afterward, the company showed a few video clips of the robot doing other tasks like picking up boxes. Then Tesla's team brought out another prototype that has its body fully assembled but not fully functional. [...] Future applications could include cooking, gardening, or even "catgirl" sex partners, Musk has said, while also claiming that production could start as soon as next year.
Musk says the robot is "the most important product development we're doing this year," predicting that it will have the potential to be "more significant than the vehicle business over time."
Musk first announced the "Tesla Bot" at last year's AI Day.
