Elon Musk presented Optimus, an assistant robot inspired by ‘Star Wars’ C3PO

In the sci-fi universe of ‘Star Wars’, humans and aliens use all kinds of droids to help them in their daily tasks. Protocol bots, astromechs, fighters, and even war generals. They do not have a heart as such, but some of their owners maintain emotional relationships with them, as in the case of Luke Skywalker with his friends C3PO and R2-D2. Tesla, the automobile and technology company owned by Elon Musk —alongside SpaceX and X —has presented the company’s new product, an autonomous robot called Optimus.

“Optimus is your R2-D2/C3PO personal assistant, but better. It will also transform physical labor in industrial settings,” the company has published on its X account, where it has also shared a video. Musk assured that he used the same technology as autonomous cars (artificial intelligence, software, etc.), only instead of placing wheels they have assembled the robots with legs, arms, and joints. As can be seen in the clip, Optimus walks like humans and is apparently capable of scrubbing, collecting mail, watering plants, serving food, playing with children, and more.

“You’re going to have something spectacular, something that anyone can own,” Musk said. “You can have your own R2-D2/C3PO”. He predicts that it will cost “less than a car,” although he refers to the long term (about $20,000 or $30,000 in total). According to the billionaire, the robot will be able to do anything, including teaching children, walking the dog, doing the shopping, or being your friend.

At the moment these are all promises of a utopian world of abundance (or dystopian, depending on how you look at it) in which humans will acquire two or three of these intelligent androids. Tesla has not announced a launch date, although everything seems to indicate that it is a long-term project. It will also be necessary to analyze all the risks involved in having an artificial intelligence carry out educational and emotional tasks with its owners.

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