Tesla just gave us a fresh look at its humanoid robot ahead of the big AI Day event. What we know so far about the Optimus project.

• Tesla showed off a teaser of its future humanoid robot on Friday.
• The company is holding an AI Day event where it will announce a prototype of the robot.
• The Tesla Bot, also known as Optimus, will take over the repetitive and dangerous manual labor of humans.

Tesla is expected to unveil a prototype of its long-awaited humanoid robot Friday night, and investors are certainly hoping it will be more than that. flying dancer in a robot suit we saw last summer.

The company is hosting an AI Day event, where it will provide updates on all kinds of cutting-edge technology, including the Optimus robot (named after the Transformer). To tease the event, Tesla tweeted a video of the robotic hands moving into a heart shape. This is the most detailed description of the Tesla Bot.

—Tesla (@Tesla)
September 30, 2022

Many of the specifics of Optimus remain a mystery, but Musk has revealed some details about the robot’s design, capabilities, and importance to Tesla’s business.

It is designed for manual labor

When Notice about Tesla Bot At this past AI Day, Musk said robots will take on dangerous, boring and repetitive tasks from humans. In the future, “physical work will be an option,” Musk said.

The bot will be 5 feet-8 tall, weigh 125 pounds, and walk 5 mph. A face-mounted display will display “helpful information” and its “human-grade hand” will be able to lift 150 pounds, Tesla said. One of the first uses for Tesla Bots will be in the company’s car factories.

It will be ‘friendly’ and definitely not incest

Musk insists that the Tesla Bot will be smart and powerful, but not smart or powerful enough to stand up to its human lords. “You can run away from it and most likely overpower it,” Musk said at AI Day 2021. “Hopefully that doesn’t happen, but you never know.”

In one Interview in AprilMusk said Tesla will include safety features to ensure “this doesn’t become an outdated situation.”

It will use Tesla’s autonomous driving technology

Given that Tesla has been developing neural networks and hardware for self-driving technology, it also makes sense to put it in a humanoid form.

Optimus will “see” its surroundings using the Autopilot camera in its head and “think” using a computer found in Tesla cars.

Musk considers this the most important job of Tesla

Musk has offer robot project is “the most important product development we’re working on this year.” He also predicted that it could eclipse Tesla’s car business and change the nature of the US economy.

“What is the economy? The foundation is labor. So what happens when there is no shortage of labor?”, he said at the last AI Day.

Consumers will be able to buy one someday

In April, Musk predicted the Tesla Bot would hit consumers in less than 10 years. It will be able to do household chores like cleaning, making dinner, mowing the lawn, buying groceries and taking care of older family members, Musk said. According to Musk, by the time it is widely available, it will be “cheaper than a car”.

A grain of salt

Musk is adding the Tesla bot to a plate already piled up with never-before-seen projects.

Got a new Roadster, $200,000 sport car expected to launch in 2020 with accelerated rocket propulsion. Then there’s the Cybertruck, a pickup truck wowed viewers with its stainless steel body and door shape when it debuted in 2019 but has yet to materialize. For years, Musk has vowed that Teslas will soon be able to drive themselves.

Against that backdrop, it’s hard to know when to take Musk’s statements and schedules seriously. We’ll all learn more about his robotic ambitions soon.