Elon Musk’s humanoid robots are coming — But they won’t mow your lawn
Optimus, the humanoid robot that Elon Musk claims will do household chores and cure poverty, was a hit at Tesla Inc.’s recent product launch. While many Musk fans came for the main event — the reveal of the company’s much-hyped robotaxi — some in the crowd appeared more impressed with the faceless, black-and-white robots that danced, served drinks and interacted with human attendees. The movements of these bipedal robots were incredibly dexterous.
It seemed almost too good to be true. And as the world later found out, it was: Tesla’s people were helping control the robot remotely behind the scenes.
Musk’s robot is likely many years away from becoming a marketable household product. But multiple companies are testing human-form robots in warehouses and on factory floors, structured settings where the technology has a much better chance of succeeding in the near term. Humanoid robots being developed by Agility Robotics, Neura Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, Reflex Robotics and others are more capable with each new version.
Companies are interested in bipedal robots because they combine mobility with robotic arms, enabling the machine to do jobs such as packing a truck densely with different-size boxes.
But progress will be gradual. The challenge is not only for the robot to mimic human movements, but to do so safely around workers. This isn’t easy. Just ask Melonee Wise, chief product officer at Agility Robotics, whose test robot still struggles to distinguish between the plastic containers it needs to pick
