It's been just over three years since Elon Musk predicted his then-forthcoming line of humanoid robots, dubbed "Tesla Bots" at the time, would hit the market in 2022. Finally, at last week's Cybercab event, the tech baron surprisingly debuted his "Optimus" robots, saying they will "walk amongst you" by 2026. Musk promised the robot would be able to serve as a "teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend." As demonstrated later in the evening, Optimus can even "serve drinks."
However, the debut was not without its wrinkles. "This is not wholly AI," said longtime tech evangelist Robert Scoble. "A human is remote assisting."
'Leaps and bounds' The latest Optimus update will "likely spark further debate about the rise of AI and how it’ll affect workers," The Wrap said. "Beyond household chores and playing with your kids, the Optimus Robot will be able to do certain jobs, like move boxes in warehouses." Accordingly, last week's presentation highlights Tesla's "push towards integrating robots into daily life," said Business Today.
The robot was "not a serious product when Musk first revealed the project in 2021," said The Verge. But current models are "leaps and bounds from more hypothetical talks of the project just a few years ago," the New York Post said. The Optimuses showcased last week "looked smoother" than their predecessors as they "danced, poured drinks, and played rock-paper-scissors with attendees at Tesla's event," said Business Insider. Once production ramps up, the robots are expected to cost between $20-30,000, and will be "something anyone could own," Musk said.
'Way behind the competition' Lingering questions over how much of the Optimus demonstrations were truly autonomous and how much was the result of teleoperation have cast a pall on the robotic rollout. Although teleoperation is itself "impressive," Lux Capital co-founder Josh Wolfe said, "it is NOT" autonomous AI, and "people should not be lied to or misled by Elon."
Optimus' potential functionality is "likely still a while away," Mashable said. Moreover, "based on everything we know about Tesla's robotics achievements, Musk is actually way behind the competition," said Gizmodo.
Tesla shares dropped sharply the day after Musk unveiled his new automated taxis and Optimus androids as markets "appeared to be initially unimpressed with the electric vehicle maker's 'We, Robot' event," said Investopedia. |