What’s next for Elon Musk? Tesla CEO hints at a humanoid robot

Tesla’s founder Elon Musk apparently has a lot on his plate. On Wednesday, the business tycoon spoke to investors and stated that this year’s most notable products will not focus on cars, but on the software that drives them. The company is gearing up for the software’s factory launch. The autonomous software, a humanoid robot, aims to help with smooth functioning in factories and manufacturing units.

The promises made by Musk have been losing their luster, after several electric car industry-based challenges and obstacles were thrown his way.

From regulations to technology itself, Tesla has been unable to reach its highly ambitious targets.

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Many have been skeptical about Tesla, including Craig Irwin, an analyst at Roth Capital Partners, who stated, “I love the fact that they’re pushing the envelope, but I think they are too aggressive.”

Reacting to this, Musk said, “I would be shocked if we do not achieve full self-driving safer than human this year. I would be shocked.”

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Fully self-driven cars are said to be the most vital USP of the brand, offering a great potential in profitability.

The company strictly avoids radar and lidar technologies, and operates mainly on artificial intelligence and cameras for its self-driven technology.

The approach has drawn criticism by many, including Austin Russell, CEO of lidar maker Luminar. “You have to be able to not only just see a person, like right in front of you, you have to do so, with 99.999999999% reliability. Even running over someone once is not an acceptable answer,” Russel told Reuters. 

The skepticism isn’t the only obstacle standing in Tesla’s way. If permitted, the technology is presumed to fall under strict scrutiny from regulators and safety departments.

Fully self-driven technology continues to be poorly comprehended, and guidelines for them are still tenuous.