Elon Musk might need to step it up in Tesla robotics department — because his signature droid doesn’t hold a candle to the ones from Boston Dynamics … so says Twitter anyway.
The CEO was on hand Friday as his company unveiled some new toys as part of their AI Day — including a self-controlled humanoid bot that they call Optimus … which actually trotted itself out on stage and moved around a bit in front of a (mostly less-than-impressed) crowd.
For starters, this thing walked very slowly and gingerly … and did a little examination of his five-fingered hands, plus a wave, before walking back at tortoise-like speed. It also didn’t look all that aesthetically pleasing. EM said this was the first time Optimus had walked alone without a tether, so they were taking it easy … as he didn’t want it to “fall on its face.” Oof.
He went on to claim Optimus is capable of doing fairly complex tasks (even now) that humans will eventually be able to ask for on-demand on the market — but much of Tech Twitter wasn’t buying it … especially as a bunch of BD videos popped up in comparison.
The reason … Boston Dynamics’ bots — especially Atlas — are VERY advanced, and can apparently do a heck of a lot more than what Elon’s creation can at this point. Their videos often go viral, particularly when they do complex dance routines and backflips, etc.
Aside from the mocking, there was genuine disappointment in Elon’s demonstration … with many saying he should’ve just waited until he had something more flashy to show.
Elon defended his bot, though … saying others on the market right now are “missing a brain,” suggesting his was actually smarter and more self-sufficient. He said they’ll be going for $20,000 in about three to five years — but we’ll see if those numbers hold up.
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