Tesla boss Elon Musk said that the electric car manufacturer will start producing and using humanoid robots next year, UNN reports citing the BBC.
Details
In his post on the social network, Musk said that the robots will initially be used by Tesla, which will start selling them in 2026.
The tech billionaire has previously stated that he expects the robot, called Optimus, to be ready for use in Tesla's factories by the end of this year.
Other companies, including Honda and Boston Dynamics, are also developing their own humanoid robots.
"Tesla will have really useful humanoid robots in small scale production for Tesla's internal use next year and hopefully in 2026 in large scale for other companies," Musk said on his social network X, formerly known as Twitter.
This happened just a day before Tesla was to publish its latest financial results.
The company's shares ended Monday's trading session on Wall Street up more than 5%.
Earlier, Musk said that Tesla aims to mass-produce robots and cost less than $20,000 each.
Addendum
Musk is known for setting ambitious deadlines for his companies, which he does not always meet, the BBC notes.
In 2019, he said he was "very confident" that Tesla would have self-driving taxis on the road by next year. Earlier this year, Musk said the long-awaited robot taxi would be unveiled on August 8. Last week, he seemed to confirm reports that the event would be postponed. Musk did not give a new date, but said he had asked for a change to the front of the car.
"The extra time allows us to demonstrate something else," he wrote.
This happened after Bloomberg News reported that the event had been postponed to October.
Musk's companies are increasingly focusing on technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and robots, while demand for electric vehicles is slowing.