Musk Unveils Tesla Robot “Optimus”, Some Tech Experts Unimpressed

The newest humanoid robot prototype – created by tech tycoon Elon Musk’s Tesla electric car firm – has been unveiled.

At a Silicon Valley event, “Optimus”, the robot, made an appearance on stage and raised its knees while waving to the crowd, BBC reports.

Musk stated that although the robot was still under development, it might be available for purchase in a few years.

According to company experts, mass-market robots from Tesla will be evaluated by performing tasks in the auto factories.

During the annual Tesla AI Day presentation, the prototype was brought onto the stage.

A video showing Optimus doing straightforward duties, like watering plants, carrying boxes, and lifting metal bars, was displayed to the audience, the BBC report says.

According to Musk, the robots would be mass produced in three to five years at less than $20,000.

The head of Tesla predicted “a future of abundance.”

He went on to say, “It really is a fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it.”

AI researcher Filip Piekniewski, however, was not impressed by the demo and tweeted it was “next level cringeworthy” and a “complete and utter scam,” Associated press reported.

Robotics expert Cynthia Yeung tweeted: “None of this is cutting edge.” “Hire some PhDs and go to some robotics conferences @Tesla.”