Tesla robot takes solo steps but does little else during AI event in California

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Tesla robots won’t be taking over the world quite yet — they’re still only just learning to walk.

CEO Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robot prototype on Friday during the company’s second AI Day in California in a presentation that left robotics experts underwhelmed.

To kick off his presentation, the billionaire acknowledged that they used “a guy in a suit” last year to announce the project, but said he hoped to dazzle crowds with the latest iteration.

Still far from strutting its stuff, Optimus, with its wires and electronics mostly exposed, gingerly made its way onto the event stage and then “raised the roof.” Despite sparking cheers from audience members, many of whom might be hired by Tesla, Optimus did little else.

“The robot can actually do a lot more than we just showed you,” Musk said at the event. “We just didn’t want it to fall on its face.”

Tesla also showed videos of Optimus performing simple tasks like carrying boxes and watering plants with a watering can, though even those abilities fall short of what robots developed by competitors like Boston Dynamics can currently accomplish. The Hyundai-owned company has previously shared clips of its robot doing backflips and performing a choreographed dance routine.

Musk said Friday that Tesla’s bot has a leg up on others because it relies on AI software and sensors that are being tested in the electric carmaker’s “Full Self-Driving” vehicles. The company goal he added, is to create an “extremely capable” bot that can also operate and navigate independently. Tesla’s familiarity with the tech will also allow it to easily produce millions of robots, which will cost consumers “probably less than $20,000″ when they hit the market in a few years, Musk said.

Many experts criticized Optimus’ suboptimal performance. AI researcher Filip Piekniewski tweeted it was “next level cringeworthy” and a “complete and utter scam.” He further snarked that it would be “good to test falling, as this thing will be falling a lot.”

Robotics expert Cynthia Yeung echoed the sentiment.

“None of this is cutting edge,” she tweeted. “Hire some PhDs and go to some robotics conferences @Tesla.”

Employees told the crowd in Palo Alto as well as those watching via livestream that they have been working on Optimus for six to eight months. People can probably buy an Optimus “within three to five years,” Musk said.

With News Wire Services