Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, mentioned on Tuesday that the company’s humanoid robot might be ready for sale by the end of next year, as reported by Reuters. Currently, this robot is still in the lab, but progress is being made.
Many companies are investing in humanoid robots to address labor shortages and to carry out repetitive tasks that are risky or monotonous. These robots can be used in manufacturing, shipping, warehousing, and retail to do jobs that are too dangerous or boring for humans.
During a call with investors, Musk said the Tesla robot, called Optimus, could start working at the factory by the end of this year.
Boston Dynamics, part of Hyundai Motor, and Honda of Japan have been working on humanoid robots for years. This year, BMW and a company called Figure, backed by Microsoft and Nvidia, announced they were bringing humanoid robots to BMW’s factory in the United States.
Elon Musk has said that robot sales might eventually be a bigger part of Tesla’s revenue than car production. He believes Tesla is in the best position to mass-produce humanoid robots with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities.
However, Musk is known for making bold promises that don’t always come true. In 2019, he told investors Tesla would have self-driving “robotaxi” cars on the road by 2020, which didn’t happen.
In September 2022, Tesla introduced Bumblebee, the first version of its Optimus robot. A video posted this year showed the second version folding a T-shirt in the Tesla factory.
Meanwhile, Boston Dynamics recently showcased an electric platform for its Atlas humanoid robot, demonstrating its ability to twist and stand up from a lying position. In February, Figure released a video of its 01 robot, showing it making coffee.
