At the recent Tesla AI Day event, Elon Musk unveiled a project of a humanoid robot called Tesla Bot. Its prototype is supposed to be released in 2022.
According to Musk's presentation, Tesla Bot will be a friendly companion robot that would take on everyday boring or dangerous tasks of the same nature. With the help of AI, it will be trained to perform useful tasks both at home and on the street, such as going to the grocery store, catching pets, receiving packages, etc.
The first version of the robot will not be able to work in production because of certain restrictions.
The codename of Tesla Bot is Optimus. A basic environmental response system with sensors and cameras will be installed in the robot's head, while its autonomous Dojo computer with a battery will be housed in the torso. The robot's electronics will be powered by chips and sensors used in Tesla's autonomous electric vehicles.
According to Musk's description, the first version of the robot will be 176 centimeters high and weigh 58 kg. The developers will limit the capabilities of the robot's mechanisms so that any person could stop it with his hands during physical contact or run away from Tesla Bot. The maximum speed of the robot in running mode will be limited to 8 km/h.
Tesla Bot's specs indicate that it will be able to carry up to 20 kg and lift up to 68 kg. Instead of a face, the robot will have a screen featuring useful information.