Tesla, the US-based company known for making electric vehicles, is also in the business of solar roofs and solar panels. Now, the company is expanding its business and is set to launch a humanoid robot called Tesla Bot.

While making this announcement at AI Day, an actor in a bodysuit appeared on stage and Elon Musk pointed out that the Tesla Bot will look similar to it. The announcement also gives a peek at the future of Tesla as the company works on exciting new products that are scheduled to launch in the future.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has revealed that the company will build a humanoid robot and a prototype of the same could be unveiled next year. However, we would advise you to take this with a pinch of salt as such developments rarely happen on a given timeline and Tesla has a history of not sticking to the predicted timeframe.

There’s also a possibility that the product may not even see the light of day. For instance, a couple of years ago, in April 2019, Elon Musk said that Tesla would have one million autonomous “robotaxis” on the road in 2020. It’s 2021 and those robotaxis are nowhere to be seen.

Tesla Bot is codenamed “Optimus” and is powered by the same chips and sensors that the company is using for self-driving features on its cars. The robot is about five feet and eight inches tall, featuring a screen where the head is for useful information. It will be able to carry 45 pounds, lift 150 pounds, and can run 5 miles per hour.

Musk says that the company has a chance to transform the world economy by driving labor costs down if the humanoid robot works and can perform repetitive tasks that only humans can do today. But he has warned that the robot probably won’t work at first.

The popularity of robots has been on rising and thanks to the advancement in technology, many companies are now working on making robots. Recently, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi launched CyberDog, a bio-inspired quadruped robot that is powered by NVIDIA’s Jetson Xavier NX AI Supercomputer, paired with 128GB of near-industrial grade SSD.

It can be controlled using the mobile app, voice control, and remote control. It has a wide range of movements including running, jumping, turning left or right, and leaning forward.  The robot can also do a backflip, roll around, and stand on its hind legs. It has a maximum walking speed of 3.2m/s and a maximum payload of 3kg. It is priced at 9,999 yuan which roughly converts to $1,541.

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