Tesla’s humanoid robot ‘Optimus’ to be available for sale in 2025: Elon Musk

Tesla’s Optimus: During a recent conference call with investors, Tesla CEO Elon Musk disclosed that the company's humanoid robot, named Optimus, is still undergoing development but could potentially be available for sale by the end of next year. 

The move aligns with the trend among several companies, including Japan's Honda and Hyundai Motor's Boston Dynamics, which are investing in humanoid robots to address labour shortages and handle repetitive or hazardous tasks across various industries such as logistics, warehousing, retail, and manufacturing.

Musk expressed confidence that the Tesla robot would be capable of performing tasks within the factory by the end of this year. Additionally, a partnership between Microsoft, Nvidia-backed startup Figure, and German automaker BMW aims to deploy humanoid robots in the carmaker's US facilities.

Musk envisions robot sales becoming a major segment of Tesla's business, potentially surpassing other sectors such as car manufacturing. He highlighted Tesla's advantageous position in efficiently scaling up production, using the robot's artificial intelligence capabilities for efficient inference.

However, Musk's track record of ambitious promises to Wall Street, such as the projected operation of a network of "robotaxi" autonomous cars by 2020, did not materialise. Tesla introduced its first-generation Optimus robot, named Bumblebee, in September 2022, and recently showcased a video of the second-generation bipedal robot folding a T-shirt at the company's facility.

In parallel, Figure 01 robot has been depicted making coffee in a video released in February, while Boston Dynamics unveiled an electric platform for its Atlas humanoid robot, demonstrating its capabilities to transition from lying down to standing and walking.

(With Reuters inputs)