“Was that intentional?” asked Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas
Tesla $TSLA’s (TSLA) Optimus robots have come a long way from their often-mocked introduction in 2021 when a human dressed in a costume appeared onstage for a demonstration. However, while the overall design has changed between the first and second generations of the humanoid bot, it still doesn’t look very personable.
“By the way, I gotta ask, how come your robots look so much like the creepy robots from ‘I, Robot,’” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a podcast episode that aired Monday. “Was that intentional?”
Cruz was referring to the 2004 movie starring Will Smith set in the year 2035, where highly intelligent humanoid robots take over public service jobs. The vast majority of those robots, controlled by an artificial intelligence computer, later attempt to take over the world in order to save humanity from themselves.
“It’s not meant to look like any prior robot,” Musk said of Optimus’ design, adding that Tesla will iterate the design.
The faceless robots have been called creepy before. However, non-crucial parts of the robots will be customizable by customers, according to Musk.
“A lot of the robot parts are cosmetic, you’ll be able to switch out the kind-of snap-on cosmetic parts of the robot [and] make it look like something else if you’d like,” Musk told Cruz on the “Verdict with Ted Cuz” podcast.
Making Optimus easier on the eyes would likely help Tesla compete with the growing number of major competitors, such as Figure AI — which plans to eventually make 100,000 robots each year — or Apptronik, which has worked with Mercedes-Benz (MBGAF). Musk envisions a world where humans will be outnumbered by their robotic counterparts in just a decade-and-a-half.
For Optimus, specifically, broad appeal will be crucial. Although a faceless design may be fine for robots assigned to security duty or for work in Tesla’s factories, that may not be a good idea for some of the other roles Musk has discussed assigning to Optimus.
“What can it do? It can basically do anything you want,” Musk said in October. “It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks. Whatever you can think of, it will do.”
During a January earnings call, where Musk said Optimus will eventually make up the “overwhelming” value of Tesla, Musk said the robots will also be able to play the piano and thread a needle. The robots are expected to eventually be sold for between $20,000 and $30,000 each. Mass production is scheduled to begin this year, according to Tesla.
Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
