Tesla Bot, the humanoid robot that Elon Musk revealed earlier this year, has a relatively big future ahead of it, according to the popular multi-billionaire.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX speaks at the 2020 Satellite Conference and Exhibition March 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. Musk answered a range of questions relating to SpaceX projects during his appearance at the conference.
Musk states that by developing a so-called "unique personality," the humanoid bot could become an actual companion to humans-kind of like the iconic droids R2D2 and C3PO from "Star Wars," reports Electrek.
The Tesla founder even went further by saying that the robot would not be just a human companion but will also do "useful work." He actually suggested that the machine can even help solve the global labor crisis in the right circumstances.
The Big Tech mogul hinted at this companionship role in an episode of the Lex Fridman podcast. There, he said that the possibilities with the robot are "endless," saying that they're looking to design it with the ability to interact well with the world and help "in many different ways."
Alongside plans to focus on making the robot an effective repetitive manual laborer, the Tesla founder said that it could also be built to develop a unique personality over time, which can potentially evolve to match its owner.
Fridman went on to say that the robot presents a "huge opportunity" to help reduce loneliness in people with this specific application.
For the uninitiated, Fridman is an artificial intelligence researcher who studies human-robot interactions, so his opinion on Musk's robot is as valid as they come.
Here is a full video of the interview, if you want to check it out in detail:
However, despite all this talk about the bot, the Tesla CEO didn't reveal an exact timeline on when the EV manufacturer would bring it to market. However, he did say that the company is looking forward to getting a "decent prototype" by the end of 2022.
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What In The World Is The Tesla Bot?
Initially thought of as a joke by some onlookers, the Tesla Bot has been confirmed as a real project by the preeminent EV manufacturer after a surprise reveal back in August.
According to a report by CNET, the bot will be using the same artificial intelligence that runs Tesla's autonomous EV fleet. There was no actual prototype of the bot during that reveal-just a performer dressed as the robot doing a weird dance-but a few physical descriptions of it were given.
It would be around 5-foot-8 inches tall, weigh around 125 pounds, and will be built using still-unspecified "lightweight materials." The bot's head will allegedly come equipped with the same cameras that run autopilot on Tesla EVs that will help it "sense" the environment.
Building A Human-Like Companion Machine
Human interactions are still classified as superior, but will Tesla be able to make a true companion robot with its own "personality?" Well, there are some indications that they probably can.
Back in October, a robot that can reportedly "think" on its own and make its own decisions was created by Japanese scientists. This machine is reported to use an AI brain that is powered by lab-grown neurons.
With the sheer size and resources backing Tesla's engineers and designers, their visions for the Tesla Bot are not too far-fetched.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce
