Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, envisions a future where the company’s humanoid robots, named Optimus, play a crucial role in various tasks, including testing the bulletproof capabilities of Tesla’s recently released Cybertruck. On November 30, Tesla celebrated the inaugural deliveries of the Cybertruck to customers at its Austin headquarters.
The electric pickup, scheduled to enter the mass market in 2025, boasts an impressive range of up to 250 miles per charge and starts at $60,990. Tesla aims to bring down the cost to $49,890 with potential government EV incentives.
During the Cybertruck’s launch event, Musk demonstrated its robustness by conducting a bullet test, subjecting the vehicle’s doors to gunfire from various weapons. The doors proved resilient, preventing any penetration, though they displayed some dents and marks. Musk clarified that while the Cybertruck wasn’t explicitly designed to be bulletproof, its ability to withstand such attacks was an unexpected bonus.
Adding a whimsical touch to the bullet test, a YouTube video by SoKrispyMedia showcased three Tesla bots, or Optimus, in a computer-generated reenactment of the scenario. Musk, commenting on the video, expressed the possibility of making this imaginative portrayal a reality in the coming year, sparking excitement among Tesla enthusiasts.
Tesla’s Optimus bots are humanoid robots intended to assist humans in tasks deemed tedious, repetitive, or hazardous, utilizing Tesla’s advanced vehicle technology, including Autopilot and Full Self-Driving capabilities.
Despite Musk’s reserved stance on revealing details about the progress of the Optimus program, he conveyed confidence that the first Optimus equipped with Tesla-designed actuators would be ambulating by November.
Musk hinted at the bots being put to practical use in Tesla factories sometime in the following year, promising periodic updates on the Optimus program without providing specific information.
This air of mystery surrounding the project has left Tesla enthusiasts eagerly anticipating the realization of Musk’s ambitious vision and the potential contributions of Optimus to Tesla’s innovative developments.