Tesla’s robot strategy is inextricably tied to its Autopilot strategy, for better or for worse

A flesh and blood human clad in a weird suit was the prototype of the robot unveiled by the company. According to Musk, the robot performed some basic functions, including walking and raising its hands, for the first time without a crane.

There is a lot riding on the company's first steps into humanoid robotics. Musk said that the robot will eventually be worth more than the car business.

At the event Friday night, it was obvious that the decision to yoke together the destinies of the two companies was questionable.

It has already laid a lot of the groundwork in its work trying to develop automated driving for vehicles, which is why it has been able to move so quickly.

Do you think about it? One of the company's engineers said that they were just moving from wheels to legs. Some of the components are the same. The only thing that hasn't changed is the training data.

It was a recurring theme throughout the presentation, with the company trotted out many, as is maybe to be expected for an event billed primarily as a recruiting exercise.

There was a very brief demo that barely matched and definitely didn't surpass a large number of humanoid robot demonstrations from other companies over the years. There is a tenuous link between the two.

The domain expertise is reduced to a simple translation by the presentation. There is a lot of research and development work on the subject, and oversimplifying the connection doesn't make sense.

The presentation transitioned smoothly between the cars and the navigation capabilities. Milan Kovac, the company's director of Autopilot Software Engineering, was one of the key people who presented to the audience.

As it pursues both challenges, the market will appreciate the efficiency that will result. There is still a lot of work to be done to convince people that the linkages are deeper than they are.

There are challenges for Autopilot in terms of public and regulatory skepticism. It doesn't make sense for a robot to have that kind of risk.

It may have turned its man-in-a-suite into a real robot, but it still has a ways to go to make good on the promise that it will cost less than $20,000.