Elon Musk officially unveiled more futuristic Tesla devices last week, but it seems not everyone is excited.
Australian-Egyptian filmmaker Alex Proyas has accused the billionaire tech boss of stealing the ideas for his 2004 film ‘I, Robot’.
at x (Twitter), Proyas posted photos of the futuristic ‘I, Robot’ technology alongside three remarkably similar Tesla products: Optimus, Robovan and Robotaxi.
Proyas also included the message: ‘Hi Elon, can you have my designs back please?’
Robovan and Robotaxi were unveiled on Thursday at a Tesla event called ‘We Robot’, a blatant reference to the film.
Alex Proyas posted photos from his 2004 film ‘I, Robot’ (left) alongside remarkably similar Tesla designs (right)
Tesla’s Optimus bears a striking resemblance to Sonny, the fictional robot protagonist of the film starring Will Smith (pictured).
Set in Chicago in 2035, ‘I, Robot’ shows intelligent robots occupying public service positions in a dystopian world.
Tesla’s Optimus bears a striking resemblance to Sonny, the fictional robot protagonist of the film.
Robotaxi, meanwhile, looks a bit like the Audi RSQ, a concept car with swinging “butterfly doors” developed by Audi for use as a product placement.
And Robovan is similar to the USR Robot Transport stainless steel automated cargo truck used to transport robots around Chicago.
Although Proyas directed ‘I, Robot’, the film was written by two American screenwriters loosely based on Isaac Asimov’s 1950 book of the same name.
However, Proyas maintained some degree of art direction on his film and has claimed the designs as his own.
In response to the director’s post on Sunday, many commenters praised Musk for bringing the designs to life.
One user responded: ‘Haha you should feel honored.’ He has made real life for them.’
Another person said: “He (Musk) has been and always will be a scam brother.”
Another posted: ‘Be honored. “What you did with CGI and a green screen, @elonmusk actually did.”
In the photo, Australian-Egyptian filmmaker Alex Proyas. His directing credits also include ‘The Raven’ and ‘Gods of Egypt’.
Tesla boss Elon Musk (pictured) officially unveiled more futuristic Tesla devices last week – Robovan and Robotaxi
Det. Del Spooner (Will Smith) is pictured with the Audi RSQ, a concept car developed by Audi for use as product placement in the science fiction film.
Elon Musk unveiled Robotaxi (pictured) and Robovan at Tesla’s ‘We Robot’ event last week.
The USR Robot Transport is a sleek, stainless steel automated cargo truck used to transport robots around the city of Chicago.
Robovan, a large autonomous bus, has no interior controls but has enough space to accommodate 20 people
Pictured: Sonny, the NS5 robot from the 2004 science fiction film ‘I, Robot’ in which intelligent robots occupy public service positions in a dystopian world.
Optimus, Tesla’s nearly six-foot-tall humanoid robot, can walk at five miles per hour, lift 150 pounds, and carry 45 pounds.
Musk unveiled his two new autonomous vehicles, Robotaxi and Robovan, at Tesla’s ‘We Robot’ event on Thursday.
Robotaxi has with no steering wheel, pedals or rear window and enough room for two passengers, who will simply sit back and let the car drive itself.
It will cost less than $30,000 (£23,000) and should enter production before 2027, according to Tesla.
Meanwhile, Robovan, a larger autonomous bus, has no interior controls but includes enough space to seat 20 people.
Musk’s concept of ‘robotic’ transport vehicles, first mooted almost a decade ago, is an autonomous vehicle and an alternative to the manned taxis that line the world’s streets.
In the near future, passengers will be able to request a Robotaxi on a Robovan ride through an app, similar to Uber or Lyft, and be transported from A to B without having to interact with any drivers, because there aren’t any.
Tesla’s futuristic Robotaxi will have no steering wheel, pedals or rear window. The two passengers will simply sit back and let the car drive itself.
Pictured is the promotional image for Tesla’s ‘We Robot’ event on Thursday: a blatant reference to ‘I, Robot’
Meanwhile, the vehicle owner could send their vehicle to make the trip, rather than having to get in the vehicle and drive it themselves, with the touch of an app.
As for Optimus, Tesla’s almost two-meter-tall humanoid robot designed to help with household tasks, it was introduced two years ago.
At the ‘We Robot’ event, a fleet of Optimus robots impressed guests by answering questions, serving them drinks and even dancing.
However, it has since emerged that the remarkably human-like machines were being controlled remotely by people behind the scenes.
Musk hopes the final version of Optimus released to the public will be autonomous and capable of performing menial tasks, as well as offering friendship, describing him as “your own personal R2D2 or C3PO.”
“I think this will be the biggest product ever created,” he said, adding that he expected the robot to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000 (£15,000-£23,000).
The Tesla boss hopes robots will be in homes by 2027, although it’s always worth taking Musk’s estimated timelines with a pinch of salt.
At ‘We Robot’ event, a fleet of Optimus robots impressed guests by answering questions and serving them drinks
Optimus could be an ‘awesome companion like R2D2 or C3PO’ from Star Wars (pictured) for the everyday home user.
Musk said in 2019 that he was “very confident” that Tesla would have operational robotaxis by 2020.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s Cybertruck was introduced in 2019 and wasn’t available to customers until November 2023.
The $80,000 Cybertruck is an ultra-durable all-electric truck covered in stainless steel, although it has faced safety and performance complaints from buyers.
Tesla has already announced, but not launched, other products, including the heavy-duty semi-truck and the Cyberquad quad.