Robot-android Optimus will master the profession of an electric car salesman

Tesla Optimus on guard sales

The lively interest that invariably aroused every appearance of the Optimus robot-manipulator (aka Tesla Bot) in public during science exhibitions led to unexpected consequences.

As it became known recently, Tesla plans to implement the robot in its car dealerships in China, thereby raising the sales bar to new heights. The choice of the country is not accidental since it is in the Celestial Empire that a particularly fierce competition between Tesla and local electric car manufacturers is unfolding today, which forces the company to invent more and more sophisticated marketing moves.



To the disappointment of Optimus fans, this is not about allowing the robot to move freely around the cabin or make contact with the visitors, even though if the experiment is successful, such a possibility in the future is unlikely to be ruled out. However, for now, the robots will stand motionless in the windows and on the pedestals, drawing curiosity and increasing the flow of potential buyers – effectively playing the role of inflatable barkers.

Tesla Bot technical details

Recall that Tesla Bot has the ability to navigate through space using computer vision, moves at a speed of 8 km per hour, lifts loads weighing up to 20 kg, and performs simple manipulations. In particular, at a demonstration hosted by Tesla last fall, robots that repaired each other using screwdrivers moved around the hall and successfully interacted with fragile objects.

Expectations and plans for the future

Elon Musk is confident that soon Optimus robots will be able to perform auxiliary assembly operations on electric vehicles on a par with humans. In addition, they will be able to improve by learning new things, since, in the words of the Tesla CEO himself, there is no use in the robot if it “requires programming every option.” However, these are now only distant prospects – Musk still has no plans to start mass production of Optimus yet.

At the moment, you can only see robots in Tesla China showrooms. However, if Optimus proves to be a good "salesman", this practice will spread to stores in other countries. It only remains to wait a little.