Elon Musk says his new Optimus robot, coming in 2023, “will be worth MORE than Tesla” — and it’ll do all your chores

ELON Musk has revealed that his upcoming Optimus robot will eventually be worth more than the Tesla car deal.

The sci-fi droid was announced last year – and will have the appearance of a human.

4

4

It was designed to do “boring or dangerous tasks” for its owners.

Optimus is expected to appear in an early form as early as 2023.

And now its creator — and the richest man alive — believes it will eventually trump Tesla Cars.

“I was surprised that people didn’t realize the extent of the crisis Optimus robot program,” Musk said during an earnings call.

“The importance of Optimus will be seen in the coming years.

“Those who are insightful, or who look closely and listen closely, will understand that Optimus will ultimately be worth more than the auto business, worth more than [full self driving].”

Musk’s lifelike droid will stand 5ft 8in tall and weigh a shockingly realistic 125lbs.

It would be designed to do menial tasks, including picking up groceries – or building Tesla cars.

This isn’t the first time Elon Musk has suggested that Optimus could outperform Tesla cars.

In January, Musk revealed that Optimus could be Tesla’s most important product.

“In terms of product priority, I think the most important product development we’re doing this year is the Optimus humanoid robot,” Musk said of Tesla’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings results earlier this year.

The Optimus robot is said to have a screen instead of a face.

And the droid is controlled by an artificial intelligence system.

“We have almost all the parts needed for humanoid robots,” Musk said in a Twitter post.

“We’re already making robots with wheels.”

Musk’s Tesla cars already have autopilot software powered by AI.

This allows them to navigate streets without driver intervention – and similar systems could be used for a robot.

Musk said he’s also interested in keeping costs down so the Tesla Bot is a realistic alternative to human labor.

“It’s supposed to be friendly,” the billionaire explained.

“And navigate a world built for humans.

“And eliminate dangerous, repetitive and boring tasks.”

It sounds terrifying and dystopian, but Musk says the machine will be engineered on a “mechanical level” so as not to kill us all.

“You can run away from it and most likely overpower it,” Musk assured viewers at last year’s Tesla AI Day.

He said the robot’s main benefit will be to limit menial tasks.

“I think physical labor will be an option in the future,” Musk said.

“If you want it, you can do it.”

Musk even thinks humanoid robots could one day develop personalities — and humans could keep company.

Musk told the Lex Fridman Podcast that his Tesla Bots could one day be both companions and workers.

He said: “It could develop a unique personality over time. It’s not that all robots are the same.

“This personality could evolve to suit the owner, or whatever you want to call it.”

Musk also explained that the first focus for his humanoid robots is to do jobs that humans don’t want to do.

He said they could be used for “repetitive and tedious work” that can cause injury to people.

The Telsa boss said a subtly imperfect robot could actually make “the perfect sidekick.”

He was reluctant to call people who would be responsible for the robots “owners,” saying it felt wrong to say so.

It’s unclear exactly how much an Optimus robot would cost, but it would likely be in the thousands of dollars.

4

4

• Read the latest phone and gadget news
• Stay up to date on Apple stories
• Get the latest on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science Team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk