By Jane Wakefield
Technology reporter.
Image source, TeslaThis year, it looks like it might berobots, as Musk likes to have a focus.
The potential to be more significant than the vehicle business over time is what he told investors on the earnings call.
They were the most important things that the company worked on this year.
A human in a robot suit is dancing on stage in front of a crowd.
The performance became a meme.
At an event last August, Mr Musk said that theTeslaBot would use the same artificial-intelligence systems that helped power the company's vehicles.
He said that the not-yet-built 5ft 8in robot would have a screen on its face and be able to lift 150 lbs and travel at about 5 mph.
Mr Musk told investors this week that the humanoid robot would be moving parts around the factory, or something like that.
He thinks it will help solve labour shortages in the future.
He said that the artificial general intelligence might be helped by the fact that it trains against the outside world.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on TwitterTesla AI might play a role in AGI, given that it trains against the outside world, especially with the advent of Optimus
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2022
The ability of a machine to learn is referred to as AGI.
Mr Musk has warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
He said that decentralised control of the robots would be critical.
AGI is an extremely hard problem, according to Professor of robot ethics Alan Winfield at the University of West England.
The idea that you can crack AGI because you have created a vehicle is ridiculous.
Even if that car is highly capable, it wouldn't be AGI.
The idea that Musk can come in and solve the problem in the extreme is ridiculous.
Mr Musk likes hard problems, from trips to Mars to self-driving cars.
The reuse of rockets by SpaceX is seen as a big step forward for space flights.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe previous attempts to create cost-effective mass-market humanoid robots have failed.
In June, Softbank, a Japanese conglomerate, announced that production of Pepper, a friendly little humanoid, had been paused and would start again only when the robots were needed, much to the displeasure of the academic community that used them.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, the average number of robots per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry is 126.
Image source, YouTube/SciNewsMany people were skeptical about Mr Musk's plans.
Anyone who thinks thatTesla is building a humanoid robot is living in an alternate reality.
Mars bases is more likely than the bot.
Tony Prescott, a professor of cognitive robotics at the University ofSheffield, told the BBC that Mr Musk would face many challenges.
If it is being used in a factory, a wheel-based robot would be much easier to build and have no problems of balance.
Creating hands and any form of hand-to-eye co-ordination would be one of the biggest issues.
He said that these are fundamental research problems that need to be solved.
Atlas, one of the most sophisticated humanoid bots available, will be attached to the ceiling when it is not making videos.
Image source, Getty ImagesThis will be starting from scratch because theTesla cars are a much simpler form.
Prof Winfield agrees with Mr Musk on one thing.
The only thing that Musk is getting right is that the path towards AGI will be through physical robots.
Our own intelligence is grounded in the real world.
In the same earnings call, he said that the company would not be introducing any new car models in 2022.
He has made ambitious promises in the past.
He said that by the end of 2020 there would be one million robot-taxis on the road.
