Elon Musk says Tesla’s robot will make physical work a ‘choice’


Team Udayavani, Aug 20, 2021, 3:04 PM IST

Tesla boss Elon Musk announced the latest frontier he is aiming to conquer: Humanoid robots.

The irascible entrepreneur said on Thursday (Aug 19) he would have an initial prototype of an androgynous “Tesla Bot” by next year.

Based on the same technology as the company’s semi-autonomous vehicles, the robot will be able to perform basic repetitive tasks with the aim of eliminating the need for people to handle dangerous or boring work, Musk said at an online event on Tesla’s advances in artificial intelligence (AI).

“Tesla is arguably the world’s biggest robotics company because cars are semi-sentient robots on wheels,” he said. “It kind of makes sense to put that into a humanoid form.”

Tesla’s touting of its automation technology comes as the carmaker faces increased scrutiny over its driver-assistance system, with safety regulators in the United States launching a probe after a series of crashes.

Tesla is accused of misleading motorists into believing the so-called Autopilot vehicles can drive themselves, though Musk has defended the system.

The Autopilot controversy was not discussed at Thursday’s two-and-a-half-hour online conference or brought up during questions from the audience.

Instead, Musk pledged that his future robot would be a benign presence.

He said the Tesla Bot, which will have five-fingered hands and come in black and white, is intended to be “friendly” and built such that “you can run away from it and most likely overpower it”.

“Hopefully that won’t happen, but you never know,” he joked.

Musk, the second richest person in the world according to Forbes, told the conference he believes robots will phase out physical labour for people.

“I think essentially in the future physical work will be a choice,” he said.

As CEO, Musk has transformed Tesla from a fledgling start-up into a pacesetter in the electric car industry, with the company last month reporting its first-ever quarterly profit above US$1 billion on record deliveries.

His company SpaceX is also competing in the booming commercial aerospace market, while Neuralink aims to develop brain implants to connect humans and computers.

But the self-described “Technoking” has also repeatedly clashed with regulators over everything from his use of social media to discuss Tesla’s operations to local COVID-19 health protocols affecting his factories.

The company has had a rocky record with its human workforce, including allegations of unfair labour practices and firing a union organiser.

(With inputs from AFP)

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Balasore tragedy result of composite negligence of railway officials: Orissa High Court

Actress Kasthuri stokes controversy by her remarks on Telugu-speaking people in TN

Three convicted for 2016 Kollam collectorate blast case

Expect Canadian government to ensure justice, uphold rule of law: PM Modi

Lone tusker spotted on NH-166 near Karkala, disrupts traffic

Lokayukta police summon Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for questioning in MUDA case on Wednesday

Not ‘kaun banega mukhyamantri’ contest; MVA to name CM pick after polls: Jairam Ramesh

Related Articles More

Three Chinese astronauts enter space station after successful launch

What is AI superintelligence? Could it destroy humanity? And is it really almost here?

IIT-B develops method to maintain comfortable temperature inside homes in joint research

Scammers use fear and urgency to con people using ‘digital arrest’, online scams: Cyber advisory

ISRO to launch electric propelled satellite in Dec: Somanath

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Balasore tragedy result of composite negligence of railway officials: Orissa High Court

Actress Kasthuri stokes controversy by her remarks on Telugu-speaking people in TN

Three convicted for 2016 Kollam collectorate blast case

Expect Canadian government to ensure justice, uphold rule of law: PM Modi

Group clash in Indore after argument over bursting firecrackers: NSA slapped against 2 accused

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.