An early prototype of Tesla Inc.'s proposed Optimus humanoid robot slowly and awkwardly walked onto a stage, turned, and waved to a cheering crowd at the company's artificial intelligence event Friday.
But the basic tasks by the robot with exposed wires and electronics - as well as a later, next generation version that had to be carried onstage by three men - was a long way from CEO Elon Musk's vision of a human-like robot that can change the world.
The demo didn't impress AI researcher Filip Piekniewski, who tweeted it was “next level cringeworthy” and a “complete and utter scam.” He said it would be “good to test falling, as this thing will be falling a lot.” Musk said that Friday night was the first time the early robot walked onstage without a tether. Tesla's goal, he said, is to make an “extremely capable” robot in high volumes - possibly millions of them - at a cost that could be less than a car, that he guessed would be less than $20,000.
Employees said Optimus robots would have four fingers and a thumb with a tendon-like system so they could have the dexterity of humans. “When you're trying to develop a robot that is both affordable and useful, a humanoid kind of shape and size is not necessarily the best way,” said Tom Ryden, executive director of the nonprofit startup incubator Mass Robotics.Honda more than two decades ago unveiled Asimo, which resembled a life-size space suit and was shown in a carefully-orchestrated demonstration to be able to pour liquid into a cup.
Critics also said years ago that Musk and Tesla wouldn't be able to build a profitable new car company that used batteries for power rather than gasoline.
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