Elon Musk's Tesla could soon have one billion 'humanoid robots' in circulation

Elon Musk has suggested there will be "no real limit" to the value of "humanoid robots" in the future. He has also hinted Tesla could soon produce one billion of them.

Musk, CEO of Twitter/X, shared several posts about Tesla's Optimus robot venture on his social media platform yesterday (Tuesday, May 7).

In response to a post claiming that production of Optimus robots will spike by ten times each year until 2030 - resulting in one billion Tesla cyborgs in circulation by then - Musk stated the production rate wouldn't be "quite that fast" but admitted the prediction was "not far wrong".

Musk responded to another post predicting the human-like machines' market value would escalate to a whopping $1,000trillion. He suggested it could actually eclipse that estimate, writing: "No real limit, because an economy is productivity per capita times capita. Intelligent humanoid robots uncork capita." Musk also unveiled an exclusive early view of his Optimus bot without its flashy casing as a treat for robotics enthusiasts.

Testing videos demonstrating the cyborg in action are regularly uploaded on the official Optimus account run by Tesla. Most recently, a video showed the bot navigating a factory floor. Earlier this month, a separate clip showcased the machine improving its neural networks.

Social media users had a field day mocking Elon Musk's humanoid robots in January, comparing the Optimus Gen Two to US President Joe Biden. One reply to a testing video read: "That is literally how Joe Biden walks..." Another person said: "When you have to hold your pee & it's a long way to the bathroom." But despite the ridicule, Musk remains bullish about his robotic venture.

"Optimus is designed to be a very capable robot but made in very high volume, probably ultimately millions of units, and it is expected to cost much less than a car," he previously stated. "I would say probably less than $20,000 would be my guess."