The star of the show at Tesla's annual "AI Day" (for "artificial intelligence") on Sept. 30 was a humanoid robot introduced by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk as "Optimus."
The robot could walk, if gingerly, and perform a few repetitive mechanical tasks like waving its arms and wielding a watering can over plant boxes. The demo was greeted enthusiastically by the several hundred engineers in the audience, many of whom hoped to land a job with Tesla.
"This means a future of abundance," Musk proclaimed from the stage. "A future where there is no poverty.... It really is a fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it."
