Elon Musk has set yet another audacious timeline, and this time it’s for his robot army. In a recent CNBC interview, the Tesla CEO declared that producing one million Optimus humanoid robots by 2030 is a “reasonable goal.” Given Musk’s history with ambitious timelines, I’m marking my robot calendar with an asterisk, but the target nonetheless highlights Tesla’s serious commitment to becoming as much a robotics company as an automotive one.
Currently, the Optimus robots are learning through a surprisingly human approach – by watching us. Tesla is training its robots using motion capture suits worn by humans, complete with head-mounted cameras. These human demonstrators perform basic tasks like opening doors, picking up objects, and apparently, busting some moves. It’s essentially “Simon Says” but for the future overlords of humanity. The training method provides the robots with a baseline of human-like movements before they develop more advanced capabilities.
If Tesla does manage to deploy a million Optimus robots within six years, the implications for manufacturing, home assistance, and dangerous jobs could be revolutionary. Of course, that’s assuming they don’t spend all their time practicing dance moves they learned from those motion capture sessions. Either way, I’ll be here reporting on whether Tesla’s robot ambitions walk the walk or just talk the talk.