Tesla is building a humanoid robot simply called the Tesla Bot, Elon Musk has revealed at the automaker's (and, perhaps, soon-to-be-robotmaker's) AI Day event. He said that it is friendly and slow enough to allow you to outrun and defeat it. This is in preparation for a robot uprising in the future.
The Tesla Bot will be powered by an artificial intelligence system similar to the Autopilot technology used in its vehicles. It will perform dangerous, repetitive tasks for humans and navigate the world without needing to be taught step-by-step. Musk stated that it should be capable of following simple commands such as "Please grab that bolt and attach that wrench to the car." It should be able get groceries for its owners and do other mundane tasks.
Musk presented a sketch of the robot at the event. However, the company has a clear vision of how the machine will look. The robot will be 5'8" tall, weigh 125 pounds and have a screen that can display useful information. It will move at a speed of 5mph which is slightly faster than average human walking speed. The machine can also carry up to 45 lbs.
Musk stated that the company will have a prototype for the Tesla Bot ready by next-year. However, delays shouldn't be surprising in ambitious projects such as this.
