In a past message on X, Elon Musk said Tesla Inc.'s humanoid robot called Optimus could “eliminate dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks.” He suggests a future where robots integrate into daily lives, helping people with both mundane chores like doing the dishes to working in hazardous conditions. In a Jan. 15, 2023, message on X, Musk showed an enhanced Optimus robot neatly folding a shirt after taking it out of a small basket.
Musk envisions Optimus as a humanoid robot designed to perform a wide range of tasks, from menial chores to complex, dangerous missions. The goal is to create a robot that is highly capable and safe and friendly to interact with.
In a talk at the National Governors Association 2017 Summer Meeting, Musk spoke at length about the coming robot revolution, saying, "There certainly will be job disruption. Because what's going to happen is robots will be able to do everything better than us. ... I mean all of us." Despite the warnings about the impacts on jobs, Musk also notes robots and humans can work together harmoniously, and humans can leverage robots to manage mundane or repetitive tasks so they can spend time on more meaningful pursuits
Optimus Gen 2 represents Musk’s latest effort to push the boundaries of technology and reshape the future. While the project is still in its early stages, Musk’s track record of innovation and determination suggests that Optimus and other artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robots could bring transformative change to the job market and everyday life.
According to reports, Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT) are in talks to lead a $500 funding round for Figure AI, a company offering its own advanced humanoid robots.
In January, the company's robot Figure-01 made a cup of coffee on a Keurig machine. The company claims its robot watched humans make coffee for about 10 hours to learn the different required movements through its AI-powered technology.
Tesla can leverage its expertise with batteries and electric motors to develop humanoid robots instead of robotlike cars. It also leverages mountains of self-driving data from its vehicles to refine its robots. However, it continues to face scrutiny regarding the effectiveness and safety of its Autopilot and Full-Self Driving Capability features, with a disconnect between the company's marketing claims about the features and the on-road performance.
To push Optimus toward more advanced capabilities, Tesla is seeking qualified workers to further develop its robots and is looking for motion planning, computer vision and mechanical engineering specialists to conquer some of the remaining robotic challenges.