Tesla Inaugural AI Day had its share of surprises. The biggest one, however, was a humanoid robot that is going to be powered by the company's vehicle artificial intelligence (AI) routines. Yeah, you read that correctly.
What is the Tesla Bot?
The robot is a prototype proposed for non-automotive use and is a testbed for the company's neural network and Dojo supercomputer.
Tesla Bot stands at five foot eight and is capable of intricate jobs such as attaching bolts with a wrench or alternatively, can handle shopping tasks such as picking up groceries from stores.
Tesla boss Elon Musk said the robot will be designed for human tasks that are dangerous, repetitive, or boring. He said that the prototype humanoid will drive a new future, one where "Physical work will be a choice."
How does the Tesla Bot work?
The Tesla Bot will weigh 125 pounds (56kg) with a carrying capacity of 45 pounds (20kg). The top speed will only be five miles an hour. With outstretched arms, it will only be able to lift 10 pounds (4kg).
The bot will have human-like hands, a screen on its face that will display information, and will have 40 electromechanical actuators in its joints. 12 in the arms, 2 in the neck and torso, 12 in the legs, and 12 in its hands.
Tesla Bot will leverage the company's full-self-driving computer, its cameras, and Tesla's AI routines - neural net, identifying objects, simulations etc.
When will we see the Tesla Bot in action?
Sometime next year according to Elon Musk. The company is betting that it will have a prototype ready next year, though no formal dates or expected release windows were shared.
