Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company will begin producing and using humanoid robots starting next year. Initially, these robots, dubbed Optimus, will assist with tasks in Tesla’s factories.
Musk has also expressed hopes of having Optimus ready for commercial sale by 2026 in a recent social media post on X. He said:
Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.
Other tech giants like Honda and Boston Dynamics are also developing similar human-like machines.
Elon Musk’s announcement about Tesla’s humanoid robot production came just before the company was due to release its financial results. Tesla’s stock price jumped more than 5% on Monday.
Musk has previously stated his goal of mass-producing these robots at a price below $20,000. However, the tech mogul has a history of ambitious timelines that haven’t always been met. For example, he predicted self-driving taxis would be on the road by 2020 and unveiled the robotaxi on August 8th, only to delay it last week.
Elon Musk has confirmed that the unveiling of Tesla’s robotaxi has been postponed. While he didn’t provide a new launch date, he explained the decision by saying he wanted to showcase additional features. This confirmation follows a Bloomberg report that the event was moved to October.
As Tesla faces slowing electric vehicle sales, Musk has shifted the company’s focus towards artificial intelligence, self-driving technology, and robotics.