Tesla has teased the Optimus humanoid robot prototype with a new image ahead of its official launch on September 30. In May, Musk announced that “Tesla AI Day #2” would be held on August 19, with “a lot of cool updates”. But Musk announced in June that the event had been postponed to Sept. 30, and said he was working on a prototype of the humanoid robot Optimus.
Now at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, Musk has released a new image of Tesla Optimus Prime to promote the upcoming AI Day #2 event, which appears to feature a robotic hand of the actual Tesla Optimus Prime prototype.
At the first AI Day, Musk announced the project, which brought a man into an arena customized by robots. It was considered a joke by many and it was criticized as a whimsical project, but Musk has been doubling down on the project. The CEO even surprised many by saying that the company aims to start producing robots in 2023.
At today’s event, Musk again reiterated his belief that the humanoid robot business should be bigger than Tesla’s car business: “In the long run, I think Optimus will be more valuable than cars. It will disrupt the whole concept of the economy.” The CEO had previously said Optimus could solve labor shortages and create an economic shift to significantly reduce costs.
