The new proposed Tesla Bot would be able to help with boring, dangerous, and repetitive tasks. Photo / Supplied
Elon Musk, the enigmatic CEO of Tesla, announced the "Tesla bot" on Thursday evening at the company's AI Day event.
"It's basically going to start dealing with work that is boring, repetitive and dangerous," said Musk. The concept is five foot eight, weighs 57kg, and can deadlift 68kg.
Musk announced the project with a man dancing in a bodysuit.
The world's second-richest man said a prototype could be ready as soon as next year.
For those worried about a robot apocalypse, Musk tried to allay your fears.
"At a physical level, you can run away from it and most likely overpower it," he said.
"Hopefully that doesn't ever happen, but you never know," he continued.
Musk did not specify a date or a price it would be sold.
He noted the impact it would have on the economy by driving down wages but that it didn't matter because "in the future, physical work will be a choice".
"But not right now because this robot doesn't work."
Musk was asked whether the robot would be able to provide "emotion and companionship?" to laughs from the audience.
"We certainly hope this does not feature in a dystopian sci-fi movie ... I think people will think of some very creative uses," replied Musk.
Musk said the robot will use the same chips and sensors as Tesla's so-called Autopilot software which is used in its cars.
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