Tesla's surprise announcements: RoboVan and Optimus

Tesla has unveiled its long-awaited Robotaxi, or Cybercab, an autonomous electric car that CEO Elon Musk claims can drive itself without human intervention. If it works, you might end up having less awkward conversations with cab drivers about presidential elections. However, that wasn't the only technology Musk revealed during Tesla's Vee, the Robot event.

Tesla's Cybercab was unveiled at Warner Bros. Discovery in Burbank, California. August was planned but pushed back to October end of July. Speaking on an earnings call at the time, Musk said the delay was because Tesla could “improve the robotaxis and add some other things to launch the product.”

“Other stuff” turned out to be the latest appearance of Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, as well as the surprise reveal of an automated van called the RoboVan (which Musk pronounces “Robo-Ven” for unknown reasons).

Musk unveils Tesla's autonomous van RoboVan

While Cybercab was the expected star of Thursday night's event, the unexpected appearance of a box-like robot stole its spotlight. Said to be capable of carrying up to 20 people or carrying cargo, Musk said the apparently fully autonomous vehicle has the potential to reduce the cost of travel to five or ten cents per mile.

“What if you need a larger vehicle than the Model Y?” Musk introduced RoboVan and rounded a corner to allow several passengers to emerge from its sliding doors. “We're going to build this and it's going to stay that way.”

“It” is a bulky white vehicle with practically no clearance between it and the road, and no mirrors. Instead, strip windows run along the edges of the Robovan's roof all the way to its nose and rear, and are placed on both sides following its left and right edges.

Comparing the design philosophy behind the RoboVan to the Cybertruck, Musk said Tesla aims to “change the way roads look” and that “the future should look like the future.” The Cybertruck's design was widely mocked when it was first revealed in 2019, but public opinion hasn't changed.

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Tesla

Fortunately, Robovan at least doesn't look like a very low poly rendering HaloIf Tesla believes anyone other than diehard Musk stans will want to ride in it, it'll be great.

“Robovan is the solution to high density,” Musk said.

The screens inside the Robovan show the vehicle's surroundings, as the rows of white chairs face each other rather than the direction the van is traveling, where the mirrors are usually located. While the lack of a steering wheel or controls is no doubt a deliberate omission, the RoboVan has no seat belts. Hopefully this will simply happen as the vehicle is still in development.

Tesla gives update on Optimus robot

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Tesla

Tesla's vehicles aren't the only ones on display at the event. Musk concluded his presentation by showing Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots Optimus has “improved dramatically every year” since Tesla unveiled the concept in 2021, the billionaire said. Infamously illustrated by a man in a robot suit.

“It will be [able to] Do whatever you want,” Musk said, sharing his dreams for Optimus' capabilities. “It could be a teacher, it could be babysitting your kids, it could be walking your dog, mowing your lawn, getting groceries. Be your friend, serve drinks. Whatever you think, it will do.”

With the tentative approach Optimus seems to take when he's just walking around, such activity is still some time away. If you want your own Optimus, at least it saves you a lot of time.

Raises his 2022 Optimus price estimate to “probably less than $20,000” Musk predicts these robots will set you back $20-30,000. However, this prediction came with the caveat that such pricing would only be achieved for a long time once the Optimus was produced “at scale”. Hence, we can assume that the launch price of Optimus will be significantly higher.

Given this projected price, Musk's claim that a personal Optimus robot will be “something anyone can own” is far-fetched. Although Musk announced that the Optimus will cost “less than a car,” it will still cost a pretty penny. Car prices soar amid the Covid-19 pandemic The average price of a new car in the US is now over $48,000.

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Tesla

“I think it's going to be the biggest product of any kind,” Musk said. “If we address the dangers of digital superintelligence, I predict in fact, [an] 80 percent good probability, good result.”

Musk hasn't said much about the other 20 percent, apparently preferring an alternative, utopian take. I, the robot Without robot murder.

“The prices of products and services will come down so much that basically anyone can get any products and services they want. “It's going to be massive, and nobody's ever imagined it,” Musk said. He's been hanging around with a lot of presidential candidates lately.

Musk concluded the We Are Robots presentation by guiding the audience through Optimus Robots roboting in a gazebo. It's not clear whether Optimus bartenders will tackle the problem of checking IDs, or whether such tasks will still fall to their human counterparts, who head to the side.

Tesla promotes caution regarding autonomous cars

While Musk's claims about fully autonomous cars and vans may sound exciting, it's prudent to approach such technology with caution and skepticism before trusting it with your well-being. Tesla doesn't have a great track record when it comes to vehicle safety, to put it mildly.

The infamous Cyberdrug has been the subject of several major recalls. Accelerator pedals get stuck when pressed down, windshield wipers malfunction, rear-view camera goes blank when drivers back up. And then there are issues that don't trigger recall and the finger-smashing tendencies of cyberdrug. This dangerous problem is eased by the design of the Cybertruck's doors and obstacle detection system. Do a great job sometime.

Other vehicles in Tesla's lineup didn't fare as well. In August, Tesla recalled 9,100 Model X cars due to a problem with a cosmetic applique separating and increasing the risk of a crash. The company had earlier announced a recall for the same model in 2020. In July, about 1.8 million Tesla cars were recalled due to a problem with detecting untethered hoods, which have the potential to open and obstruct the driver's view. In January, nearly 200,000 Teslas were recalled for rearview camera problems.

Last year, the A issued a December recall for auto steering problems, a recall for faulty seat belt warnings, a July recall for faulty seat belts, and a February recall for the A because Tesla's fully self-driving software could cause the cars to “exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an illegal or unpredictable manner.” , increases the risk of accidents.”

During the We, Robot event, Musk announced that several dozen Model Ys and Cybercabs were roaming the set without drivers or passengers, and then attendees were invited to ride in them.

“There's no steering wheel or pedals, so I hope it goes well,” said the billionaire. “We'll find out.”