Elon Musk announced the Tesla bot in August, which would be specifically designed to handle ‘dangerous and boring’ tasks in a factory, but the billionaire also foresees the humanoid as a companion.
On the Lex Fridman podcast, Musk said Tesla Bot, which is codenamed Optimus Subprime, could make an ‘incredible buddy like R2D2 or C3PO’ for the everyday user.
The robot will be a general purpose, help machine that takes over jobs that humans do not necessarily like to do, but this ‘will have to be paired with some kind of universal income in the future,’ Musk said noting that this would only be necessary when the bot takes over jobs.
However, Optimus Subprime could make ‘a very good companion,’ similar to a dog.
‘It could develop a personality over time that is unique. It’s not like all the robots are the same,’ the billionaire said.
‘That personality could evolve to match the owner, or whatever you want to call it.’
Scroll down for video
Elon Musk announced the Tesla bot in August, which would be specifically designed to handle ‘dangerous and boring’ tasks in a factory, but the billionaire also foresees the humanoid as a companion
Musk continued to describe the Star Wars robots, noting that the pair ‘has a lot of flaws and silly things and they would argue with each other,’ he said.
‘There are sorta quirky elements where they make mistakes and it would just, it made them relatable, I don’t know. Endearing,’ Musk continued.
‘I think that would be something that probably would happen [with the Tesla bot].
‘But our initial focus is just to make it useful.’
Musk said the Tesla bot will ‘get done’ but is unsure about the timeframe of when development will start and finish.
[embedded content]
On the Lex Fridman podcast, Musk said Tesla Bot, which is codenamed Optimus Subprime, could make an ‘incredible buddy like R2D2 or C3PO’ for the everyday user
He however did say that Tesla hopes to have a ‘decent’ prototype by the end of 2022.
The Tesla bot is set to include the Autopilot computer used in the company’s electric cars, which will allow the humanoid to recognized real-world things.
But the robot will have its own customized sensors and actuators.
The robot is expected to stand about five feet, eight inches tall and weight around 125 pounds.
Tesla’s Autopilot cameras would be fitted in the front of the bot’s head and its innerworkings will be powered by the company’s Full Self-Driving computer.
‘I think the possibilities are endless,’ Musk stated on the podcast.
Musk continued to describe the Star Wars robots, noting that the pair ‘has a lot of flaws and silly things and they would argue with each other,’ he said. ‘There are sorta quirky elements where they make mistakes and it would just, it made them relatable, I don’t know. Endearing,’ Musk continued. Pictured is R2D2 (left) and C3PO (right)
The Tesla bot is set to include the Autopilot computer used in the company’s electric cars, which will allow the humanoid to recognized real-world things. But the robot will have its own customized sensors and actuators
‘It’s not exactly in Tesla’s major mission directive of speeding the expansion of renewable energy, but making a humanoid robot capable of interacting with the environment and assisting in a variety of ways is a highly important thing for the globe.’
Musk noted that unlike killer robots, the Tesla bot could be overpowered by the average human.
The Tesla founder has previously warned the world that robots could kill us all in five years – a statement Musk made in 2014.
He has also said artificial intelligence is the ‘biggest risk we face as a civilization.’
