--- title: "Elon Musk Just Announced a Humanoid “Tesla Bot”" description: "During this week's AI Day event, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that the car company is working on a humanoid prototype called Tesla Bot." date: "2021-08-20" modified: "2021-08-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-tesla-bot" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "humanoid robot" - "tesla" --- # Elon Musk Just Announced a Humanoid “Tesla Bot” ![During this week's AI Day event, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that the car company is working on a humanoid prototype called Tesla Bot.]() *\Image: Tesla\* During this week's AI Day event, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that the car company is [working on a humanoid prototype]() we will get a first glimpse at "sometime next year." To build its robot assistant, the company will draw from existing experience with car manufacturing robotics as well as its AI-powered computer chips that enable its fleet of cars to (almost) drive themselves. It's a rather odd left turn for Elon Musk, who has repeatedly warned us of the dangers of AI. "I've been banging this AI drum for a decade," Musk [told *Insider*]() in July 2020. "We should be concerned about where AI is going. The people I see being the most wrong about AI are the ones who are very smart, because they can't imagine that a computer could be way smarter than them." Despite Musk's repeated warnings, the billionaire reiterated at last night's event that the Tesla Bot is "intended to be friendly," and that it will be both weaker and slower than a human. It will stand at five feet and eight inches tall and weigh 125 pounds and reportedly feature human-level hands. Of note: Musk did not roll out any prototypes last night, but did have a, uh, someone on stage with him to do... this. https://twitter.com/caseyjohnston/status/1428711769254543369 A screen will allow Tesla Bot to communicate with its master. As to its purpose, the company was rather vague. It's meant to take care of "performing tasks that are unsafe, repetitive or boring," according to [Tesla's website](). "You know, once you have it do that, maybe it can do other things too… I mean, maybe it could be your buddy, too," Musk joked on stage. "I’m sure people will think of some very creative uses." But whether the car manufacturer be able to ever bring a fully functioning humanoid robot to life that can rival Boston Dynamics' offerings is anybody's guess. We've seen just [how difficult it is]() to get bipedal robots the ability to walk, let alone complete complex tasks. It also wouldn't be the first time Musk overpromised while underdelivering. But with enough motivation, there is a chance we will get to see a Tesla Bot prototype as soon as next year. Whether it will be able to actually perform "unsafe" tasks is unclear however. **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk says Tesla is working on humanoid robots]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Do Not Attempt To Imitate This Video of a Tesla Forging Floodwaters]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()