Home Tech Elon Musk takes Tesla’s creepy Optimus robot for a walk around the factory – as concerned viewers warn ‘this isn’t going to end well’

Elon Musk takes Tesla’s creepy Optimus robot for a walk around the factory – as concerned viewers warn ‘this isn’t going to end well’

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Optimus, Tesla's nearly six-foot-tall humanoid robot, can walk at five miles per hour, lift 150 pounds, and carry 45 pounds.

Elon Musk has shared amazing images of his Optimus robot, which he hopes will one day help people at home.

The billionaire Tesla owner posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing the nearly 6-foot-tall humanoid taking a stroll through the factory.

Musk, who routinely posts clips showing off the machine’s impressive capabilities, said in the post: “Going for a walk with Optimus.”

Viewers responded by jokingly expressing concern about robots taking over the world.

One responded: “This isn’t going to turn out well,” while another said: “It’s great until robots start killing humans.”

Optimus, Tesla’s nearly six-foot-tall humanoid robot, can walk at five miles per hour, lift 150 pounds, and carry 45 pounds.

Musk, who routinely posts clips showing off the machine's impressive capabilities, said in the post:

Musk, who routinely posts clips showing off the machine’s impressive capabilities, said in the post: “Going for a walk with Optimus.”

Optimus Robot Statistics

Height: 5ft 8

Weight: 125 pounds

Loading capacity: 45 pounds

dead weight: 150 pounds

Speed: 5 mph

Availability: To be confirmed

Cost: $20,000 or less

Others compared it to the ‘NS5’ robots from the 2004 American sci-fi action film ‘I, Robot’.

Another user commented: ‘Looks like he has to go to the bathroom.’

Several X users suggested that the machine’s speed is similar to that of US President Joe Biden, who is now 81 years old.

However, others seemed really impressed, with one saying: “I love these Optimus updates.” It’s fantastic to see the improvements.’

Another added: “The gait looks a lot more natural than I expected.”

What stands out in the video is the absence of white metal covering the robot’s chest, meaning that its internal parts are visible.

Optimus was first announced at Tesla’s AI Day event in August 2021, but more than two years later there is no official confirmation of when it will be released to the public.

The first prototype of the robot was presented a year later, although it couldn’t do much more than walk around the stage and wave.

Tesla revealed an updated prototype of the humanoid robot (‘Gen 2’) in a clip from December 2023, although the first version never went on sale.

X (Twitter) users responded by jokingly expressing concern about robots taking over the world.

X (Twitter) users responded by jokingly expressing concern about robots taking over the world.

Several users suggested that the speed of the machine is similar to that of US President Joe Biden, who is now 81 years old.

Several users suggested that the speed of the machine is similar to that of US President Joe Biden, who is now 81 years old.

'He Already Walks Faster Than the Leader of the Free World': But Can President Biden Deadlift 150 Pounds?

‘He Already Walks Faster Than the Leader of the Free World’: But Can President Biden Deadlift 150 Pounds?

Musk posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption:

Musk posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “Going for a walk with Optimus.”

Several others suggested that the speed of the machine is similar to that of US President Joe Biden, who is now 81 years old.

Several others suggested that the speed of the machine is similar to that of US President Joe Biden, who is now 81 years old.

In the video, Gen 2 is shown picking up and holding an egg without breaking it, thanks to the advanced tactile senses of his fingers.

Earlier this year, another promotional video showed Optimus demonstrating his balance while performing some basic yoga poses and standing on one leg.

Optimus is almost six feet tall, can walk at five miles per hour, and can lift 150 pounds according to Tesla.

Optimus includes the Autopilot computer used in the company’s electric cars, which allows the humanoid to recognize real-world objects.

Musk has described it as a factory worker, but it could also be an “amazing companion like R2D2 or C3PO” for the everyday user at home.

He has been designed to perform “dangerous and boring” tasks in a factory and other environments, although he will be “friendly” and a “very good companion”, like a pet.

You should be able to do a variety of jobs, from fastening bolts to cars with a wrench to picking up groceries at stores.

Optimus Gen 2 can pick up an egg without breaking the shell thanks to its advanced tactile senses in its fingers.

Optimus Gen 2 can pick up an egg without breaking the shell thanks to its advanced tactile senses in its fingers.

Optimus could be an 'awesome companion like R2D2 or C3PO' from Star Wars (pictured) for the everyday home user.

Optimus could be an ‘awesome companion like R2D2 or C3PO’ from Star Wars (pictured) for the everyday home user.

Musk noted that unlike killer robots, the Tesla robot could be physically overpowered by the average human, suggesting it is less dangerous than it seems.

The South African-born businessman has already been vocal about his concerns about AI, calling it “far more dangerous than nuclear weapons” and “riskier than North Korea.”

Customers will be able to buy Optimus between 2025 and 2027, according to Musk, with a retail price of “probably less than $20,000” (£16,000).

More updates could be given at Tesla’s upcoming AI Day event, which did not take place in 2023 but is expected to return this summer.

TIMELINE OF ELON MUSK’S COMMENTS ON AI

Elon Musk is one of the most prominent names and faces in technology development.

The billionaire businessman runs SpaceX, Tesla and the Boring company.

But while it is at the forefront of creating artificial intelligence technologies, it is also well aware of its dangers.

Here’s a complete timeline of all of Musk’s premonitions, thoughts, and warnings about AI, so far.

August 2014 – ‘We have to be very careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nuclear weapons.

October 2014 – ‘I think we should be very careful with artificial intelligence. If I had to guess what our biggest existential threat is, it would probably be that. That’s why we have to be very careful with artificial intelligence.’

October 2014 – ‘With artificial intelligence we are summoning the devil.’

June 2016 – “The benign situation with ultra-intelligent AI is that we would be so far below in intelligence that we would be like a pet or a house cat.”

July 2017 – “I think AI is something that poses a civilizational risk, not just an individual risk, and so it really requires a lot of security research.”

July 2017 – “I am exposed to the most advanced AI and I think people should care a lot about it.”

July 2017 – ‘I keep sounding the alarm but until people see robots walking down the street killing people, they don’t know how to react because it seems very ethereal.’

August 2017 – ‘If you’re not worried about AI safety, you should be. Much more risk than North Korea.

November 2017 – ‘Maybe there is a five to 10 percent chance of success (in making AI safe).’

March 2018 – ‘AI is much more dangerous than nuclear weapons. So why don’t we have regulatory oversight?

April 2018 – ‘(AI is) a very important topic. “It’s going to affect our lives in ways we can’t even imagine now.”

April 2018 – ‘(We could create) an immortal dictator from whom we would never escape.’

November 2018 – ‘Maybe the AI ​​will make me follow him, laugh like a demon, and say who the pet is now.’

September 2019 – ‘If advanced AI (beyond basic robots) hasn’t been applied to manipulate social media, it won’t be long before it is.’

February 2020 – ‘At Tesla, using AI to solve autonomous driving is not just the icing on the cake, it is the cake.’

July 2020 – ‘We are heading towards a situation where AI is much smarter than humans and I think that time frame is less than five years from now. But that doesn’t mean everything will go to shit in five years. It just means that things become unstable or weird.

April 2021: “A significant part of real-world AI needs to be solved for widespread, unsupervised autonomous driving to work.”

February 2022: “We have to solve a lot of AI just to make cars drive themselves.”

December 2022: ‘The danger of training AI to wake up (in other words, to lie) is deadly.’

September 2023: ‘The age of AI is quickly becoming a reality for the general public.’

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