At the much-awaited ‘We, Robot’ event, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the company’s newest innovations: the Optimus humanoid robot and the Robovan vehicle. The robots, designed to assist with daily tasks, were presented to a live audience, showcasing Tesla’s vision for robots in the everyday lives of consumers.
“We expect the Optimus to be our biggest product ever,” Musk said, emphasizing its capability to perform a wide range of tasks. He also hinted that the long-term price of the robot would range between $20,000 and $30,000.
During the event, the Optimus robots demonstrated simple actions, like waving and holding objects. One part of the presentation showed a video of Optimus retrieving a package from a porch.
Optimus is your personal R2D2 / C3PO, but better
It will also transform physical labor in industrial settings pic.twitter.com/iCET3a9pd8
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 11, 2024
Musk predicted that Tesla could eventually produce millions of Optimus robots, saying the product could revolutionize economic productivity and help eliminate poverty. “This could increase economic output by two orders of magnitude,” Musk claimed, reinforcing the significance of this project.
Tesla first introduced the concept of Optimus in 2021, initially as a performer in a robot suit. The first prototype was unveiled in 2022, marking the beginning of serious development efforts. Musk announced that Optimus would be capable of practical tasks by the end of 2023, with commercial availability projected for late 2024.