That Elon Musk is almost unanimously defined as a great visionary is now well known to all. And we know that visionaries dream a lot but, above all, sometimes they really realize what they have in mind. This is the case of the robot just presented during AI Day held in Palo Alto, California.
So let’s get to know Tesla’s new “creature” in depth.
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What are the characteristics of the first Tesla robot?
After announcing the arrival of Starlink also in Antarctica, Musk amazes again with his Optimus, this is the name given to the robot.
During the Palo Alto event, two robot prototypes were actually paraded on stage, one with visible mechanisms while the other, more complete, is not yet able to walk.
Here we are talking specifically about the Bumble C model which exactly follows the structural conformation of the human body, obviously including legs, arms, hands and feet.
The goal is to make the robot able to replicate human movements and gestures in the most similar and functional way possible.
Articulated and sophisticated artificial intelligence systems – after all, how could it be otherwise? – they will teach the robot how to behave.
Equipped with motors and ad hoc sensors, the robot will be able to “realize” what is happening around him. The engineers who worked on the project started from human “biology”, accessorising the robot with hardware and software capable of making its mechanics more fluid and similar to human beings.
Its weight should be around 73 kg, 2.3 KWh battery, WiFi and 4G connection. The power supply? Obviously only and exclusively with electric battery.
What the humanoid robot Optimus can do
During the presentation, Musk’s humanoid robot made slow movements and greeted the audience but Musk was quick to point out that: it can do much more than what we just showed.
What the founder of Tesla has in mind to make the robot do him can be seen both from the presentation video and from his own words. The video shows the robot carrying boxes and watering the plants in a garden while holding a watering can. In short, it is represented in moments of life that can be easily associated with everyday life.
In fact, Musk foresees for his robot not only a large-scale application in the automotive industry, aimed at compensating (supplanting?) the lack of manpower but also a future in the homes of “ordinary” people. It will be a fundamental transformation for civilization as we know it.
Musk therefore hopes that the robot will also be used in everyday life, as mentioned above, such as for preparing dinner but also for assisting sick and disabled people.
Read also: AI for human development
What will the price of Optimus be and when will it hit the market
Musk’s stated goal is to achieve mass production. Which basically means two things: the first is that it will take time, the second is that the costs will be contained thanks to the possibility of producing in large quantities.
So when the mass production phase kicks off, Musk said the robot will cost less than $ 20,000, which is below the average cost of a car.
The robot is currently only a prototype and it will obviously take some time to complete and enter the market. There is therefore no certain date regarding the release date.
What is known so far is that customers will be able to order it and, once the order is placed, receive it within 3-5 years.
