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Tesla Bot Optimus Prototype Will Make Its Debut This Month

When Tesla unveiled its humanoid robot, first called the Tesla Bot and then Optimus Subprime, in August last year, the general response was one of bewildered amusement. Haters better take a couple of seats way in the back because a prototype is days away from its public debut.
A prototype for Optimus, the Tesla Bot, will be unveiled on September 30, says report 6 photos
Photo: Tesla
Tesla BotElon Musk announcing the Tesla BotTesla BotTesla BotTesla Bot
Sources inside Tesla tell Reuters that the company will present a prototype of Optimus on AI Day, which is scheduled for September 30. Elon Musk recently said that the humanoid robot had become a top priority with the company and revealed on Twitter yesterday that some of the team on Autopilot was now working on Optimus.

According to Musk’s previous statements, Optimus would initially be designed to perform dangerous or “boring” chores before it could evolve into something akin to a companion. As one, it would be deployed on a large scale, in a variety of jobs, from carers to the elderly to a maid-like robot that would make dinner and do the cleaning. Sort of like the NS-5s robots in I, Robot but, you know, without the “taking out mankind after becoming sentient” twist.

Jokes aside, Reuters cites several sources on the “ambitious plans” to deploy thousands of such robots within factories before making them commercially available for public use. Said plans include an increased number of meetings as of late and several job openings for this project only. It also cites several market analysts and engineering experts who voice doubts as to the imminent arrival of Optimus.

The consensus with these seems to be that, whatever the plan for Optimus, if it does get its time in the spotlight as early as this month, it’d better do something more than just dance, something that would show progress from all the other robots already available. “That's already been done. That's not that impressive,” Nancy Cooke, professor in human systems engineering at Arizona State University, says.

Investors feel the same: Tesla stock has dipped after a bunch of false promises, and it needs more displays of real technological advancement to perk up again. No more men in suits pretending to be robots.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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