“The future should look like the future,” CEO Elon Musk said at the Tesla “We Robot” special event held in Burbank, California, earlier this week. In fact, Tesla's highly anticipated autonomous robotaxi, the Cybercab, and its large van counterpart, the Cybervan, seemed straight out of famous science fiction films.
But as the name of the event suggested, a vision of the future wouldn't be complete without robots: Several of the Optimus Gen 2s, Tesla's latest version of a humanoid robot, were found serving drinks, having conversations with guests, and even dancing at the event.
Tesla recently touted the Optimus as a potential replacement for factory workers in China and elsewhere. Musk previously said he expects the Optimus to be used in Tesla factories starting in 2025 and available to other companies in 2026.
But at the event, the Tesla boss revealed his expanded vision of a household robot that can “do anything you want: take care of your child, walk your dog, mow your lawn, get groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks “.
He also gave a more accurate estimate of the robot's price: Once Optimus is manufactured “at scale,” it is expected to cost between $20,000 and $30,000. Musk had previously said the robot's price would be about half that of a car.
Staying true to his science fiction vision, the Tesla CEO described Optimus as a cross between R2D2 and C-3PO, the famous droids from the Star Wars film series.
Since introducing the first generation of Optimus in 2022, Tesla has placed emphasis on continuity between its cars and the robot. “Everything we've developed for our cars – the battery electronics, the advanced engine transmissions, the software, the AI inference computer – everything actually applies to a humanoid robot,” Musk said at the event. “A robot with arms and legs, instead of a robot with wheels.”
Tesla wouldn't be the first to bring a household robot onto the market. Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics has already launched a home service robot called Spot at a hefty price tag of $74,500. BMW and Open AI support robots from the Californian company Figure. Meanwhile, Nvidia is developing the GR00T project to also deliver humanoid robots.
Earlier this year, Goldman Sachs predicted the annual global market for humanoid robots could reach $38 billion by 2035, with robot shipments of 1.4 million units for both industrial and consumer applications. It also said robots could become more affordable as their manufacturing costs have fallen more than expected – leading to faster commercialization.
