At last night’s We, Robot event, the star of the show was the much-anticipated Tesla CyberCab. However, at the event, Elon Musk once again showed off the Tesla humanoid Optimus, which he says can now “do anything”. “Optimus will walk among you,” Musk said. “You’ll be able to walk right up to them and they’ll serve drinks,” he said. Musk describes the capabilities of Optimus as virtually unlimited. They say it can walk your dog, look after the kids, mow the lawn and even serve drinks. He estimates the long-term price will be between $20,000 and $30,000. Musk claimed, “I believe this will be the most important product ever made.”

Optimus is your personal R2D2/C3PO, but better

It will also replace physical labor in industrial settings pic.twitter.com/iCET3a9pd8
– Tesla (@Tesla) 11 October 2024

“I think every one of the 8 billion people on Earth would want an Optimus friend,” Musk said.

In December 2023, Musk introduced Optimus Gen 2, the latest version of Tesla’s humanoid robot. Unlike its predecessor, which could primarily walk and talk, this iteration boasts faster walking speed, better hand movements, tactile sensors on the fingers, and many other improvements.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk shared a post on X in which Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, demonstrated a new skill – folding a shirt. In the video, Optimus was seen picking up a black shirt from a basket placed next to it on the table and folding it neatly. The clip is appropriately titled, “Optimus Folds a Shirt.”

This year, Musk shared another video of a humanoid walking like a human, which was definitely cool to some extent and scary to some extent.

Tesla first unveiled the concept of this humanoid robot called Tesla Optimus or Tesla Bot during AI Day in 2021. Designed as a multi-functional machine, it is intended to handle tasks that are unsafe, repetitive or monotonous for humans.

Although still under development, Tesla has been releasing updates to reflect the progress of the Optimus; The demonstration on Thursday is an example of this. The Gen 2 model represents the latest leap in the evolution of robots.

In 2022, Tesla revealed a prototype that could walk and perform basic actions such as retrieving objects. During a demonstration on stage, Elon Musk highlighted that this was the first untethered operation of the robot. The video shows the bot successfully picking up objects and watering plants. “We didn’t want it to fall flat,” Musk joked, referring to the safety precautions taken during the demonstration.

For the CyberCab, Elon Musk showcased his ambitious plans for a fully autonomous vehicle that eliminates traditional controls like a steering wheel and pedals. “It will be cheaper than mass transit. By next year, unsupervised, fully self-driving capable cars should be available in Texas and California on the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. Model S and Cybertruck too,” Musk said at the event. They also announced that production of the Cybercab would begin sometime in 2026.