During Tesla’s recent third-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk put a special emphasis on the company’s most ambitious project, the Optimus humanoid robot. Till now the world has only seen this robot serving popcorn, but according to Musk, it will prove to be the biggest technological revolution of the future. He says Tesla’s goal is no longer just clean energy or self-driving cars, but to usher in an era of what he calls sustainable abundance.
Musk’s claim
Elon Musk believes that human needs are not limited to just energy. He said, “Our new mission is sustainable abundance, i.e. creating a world where no one faces poverty. With Optimus and automated technology, we can create a society where the best healthcare is available to everyone. Imagine if every person had a robot with the abilities of a great surgeon, both poverty and destitution would be eliminated.”
The third version of Optimus will arrive in 2026
For now, the Optimus has only been seen during demos, but Musk has announced that the next version will launch in early 2026. Their goal is to produce one million units of this anthropomorphic figure every year. Musk claims that Optimus could prove to be Tesla’s biggest and most historic product to date. However, he also acknowledged that producing it on such a large scale would be extremely challenging.
Debate over robot army and control
As usual, Musk pitched the project to investors and said he wants more control over Tesla’s future. He said projects like the “robot army” would not be able to reach their full potential unless they gained sufficient powers. It is reported that Musk’s new CEO salary package could be up to $1 trillion.
Has the robot age really arrived?
Elon Musk has long discussed the idea that automation will free humans from the shackles of work. Although this dream has not yet been realized, Musk claims that the future is no longer the future, but is already knocking on the door. Optimus seems like a lot of science fiction right now, but Musk envisions it as the technology that could change the course of the world, whether it brings prosperity for all or increases inequality.