Tesla robot Optimus maybe on sale by year end, Musk hints

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that the company's humanoid robot is currently in the development phase but could potentially be available for sale by the end of next year.

During a conference call with investors on Tuesday, Musk indicated that he anticipates the Tesla robot, named Optimus, will be capable of undertaking tasks within the factory environment by the conclusion of this year, reported Reuters.

Musk has previously mentioned that robot sales might become a bigger part of Tesla's business compared to other areas, like making cars.

"I think Tesla is best positioned of any humanoid robot maker to be able to reach volume production with efficient inference on the robot itself," Musk said on the Tuesday call.

Numerous companies are investing in humanoid robots to address possible labour shortages and handle repetitive tasks that could be risky or dull in various industries like logistics, warehousing, retail, and manufacturing.

Humanoid robots are machines designed to resemble and perform tasks like a human.

For years, Japan's Honda and Hyundai Motor's Boston Dynamics have been developing humanoid robots. This year, a start-up called Figure, supported by Microsoft and Nvidia, announced a partnership with German automaker BMW to introduce humanoid robots at the car manufacturer's facility in the United States.

In September 2022, Tesla introduced the initial version of its Optimus robot, named Bumblebee where in a video, the second generation of this bipedal robot was shown folding a T-shirt at its facility. Musk took to X with the video, captioning it: "Optimus folds a shirt."

In another video posted on X which Musk captioned as, "Going for a walk with Optimus."

Last week, Boston Dynamics revealed an electric platform for its Atlas humanoid robot. In the video, the Atlas robot demonstrated its ability to transition from lying down to standing and walking, displaying remarkable agility.

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