DETROIT – An early prototype of Tesla’s proposed Optimus humanoid robot slowly and clumsily walked onto the stage, turned and waved to a cheering crowd at the company’s artificial intelligence event Friday.
But the robot’s basic tasks with exposed wires and electronics — as well as a later, next-generation version to be carried by three men on stage — were a long way from CEO Elon Musk’s vision of a humanoid robot that could change the world. .
Musk told the crowd, many of whom may be hired by Tesla, that the robot can do much more than the public saw Friday. He said it’s also delicate and “we just didn’t want it to fall on his face.”
Musk suggested the problem with flashy robot demonstrations is that the robots “miss a brain” and don’t have the intelligence to navigate themselves, but he gave little evidence on Friday that Optimus was more intelligent than robots developed by other companies and researchers.
The demo failed to impress AI researcher Filip Piekniewski, who tweeted that it was “next level cringeworthy” and a “complete and utter scam”. He said it would be “good to test the drop because this thing will drop a lot.”
“None of this is groundbreaking,” robotics expert Cynthia Yeung tweeted. “Get some PhDs and go to some @Tesla robotics conferences.”
Yeung also questioned why Tesla chose its robot to have a humanoid hand with five fingers, noting that “there’s a reason why” warehouse robots developed by startup companies use two- or three-finger squeezers.
Musk said Friday night was the first time the early robot walked on stage without a chain. Tesla’s goal, he said, is to create an “extremely capable” robot in large volumes — possibly millions — at a price that could be lower than a car he suspected would be less than $20,000.
Tesla showed a video of the robot, which uses artificial intelligence Tesla is testing in its “Full Self-Driving” vehicles, carrying boxes and placing a metal bar inside what appeared to be a factory machine. But there was no live demonstration of the robot completing the tasks.
Employees told the crowd in Palo Alto, California, as well as those watching via livestream, that they spent six to eight months working on Optimus. People can probably buy an Optimus “within three to five years,” Musk said.
Workers said Optimus robots would have four fingers and a thumb with a tendon-like system so they could have the agility of humans.
The robot is powered by giant artificial intelligence computers that track millions of video frames from “Full Self-Driving” cars. Similar computers would be used to teach tasks to the robots, they said.
Robotics experts have been skeptical that Tesla is close to rolling out legions of humanoid home robots that can do the “useful things” Musk wants them to do — e.g. make food, mow the lawn, keep an eye on things. to keep. elderly grandmother.
“If you’re trying to develop a robot that’s both affordable and useful, a humanoid shape and size isn’t necessarily the best way forward,” said Tom Ryden, executive director of the nonprofit start-up incubator Mass Robotics.
Tesla isn’t the first car company to experiment with humanoid robots.
More than two decades ago, Honda unveiled Asimo, which resembled a life-size spacesuit and was shown in a carefully orchestrated demonstration for pouring liquid into a cup. Hyundai also owns a collection of humanoid and animal-like robots through its 2021 acquisition of robotics company Boston Dynamics. Ford has partnered with Agility Robotics, an Oregon startup that makes robots with two legs and two arms that can walk and lift packages.
Ryden said automakers’ research into humanoid robotics could potentially lead to machines that can walk, climb and overcome obstacles, but impressive past demos have failed to deliver a “real use case” that lives up to the hype.
“They learn a lot from understanding the way hominins function,” he said. “But in terms of having a humanoid as a product right away, I’m not sure that will come out anytime soon.”
Critics also said years ago that Musk and Tesla would not be able to build a profitable new car company that uses batteries for power instead of gasoline.
Tesla is testing ‘fully self-driving’ vehicles on public roads, but they must be checked by select owners who must be ready to intervene at all times. The company says it has about 160,000 vehicles on the road equipped with the testing software.
Critics have said Teslas, which rely on cameras and powerful computers to drive independently, don’t have enough sensors to drive safely. Tesla’s less capable Autopilot driver assistance system, which uses the same camera sensors, is under investigation by US safety authorities because it brakes for no reason and repeatedly collides with emergency services with flashing lights parked along highways.
In 2019, Musk promised that a fleet of autonomous robotic axes would be up and running by the end of 2020. Those are still being tested.
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