KEY POINTS

  • Musk said Optimus can become a "friend" to consumers in the future
  • One expert said Optimus was not a mind-blowing humanoid robot
  • A Twitter user compared Tesla's robot to Boston Dynamics' back-flipping Atlas

Tesla has unveiled a prototype of its much-anticipated Optimus robot, which according to its CEO Elon Musk, will become a "general purpose" machine that will be sold in the future for $20,000. Twitter users have joined experts in evaluating the Palo Alto-based company's robot, with some pointing out the bot's underwhelming specs and abilities.

At a Q&A session after unveiling Tesla's Optimus robot Saturday, Musk said Optimus could "be kind of like a friend and a buddy" in the future. Musk added that customers will be able to order the machine "within three years, probably not more than five years."

During a demonstration, the robot walked to the stage and waved to the audience. The humanoid bot also danced. The company also released a video showing details about how the machine could carry some items such as a box and a watering can.

Experts have since expressed their thoughts about Optimus. While most of them praised Tesla's ability to produce a humanoid robot, some pointed out that the things mentioned regarding the bot's abilities were not overwhelming or new.

Christian Hubicki, a professor of robotics at Florida State University, said in a Twitter thread that he was "impressed by the short turnaround" of bringing Optimus live for people to see, but the robot's capability was "not mind-blowing" in terms of humanoids.

Will Jackson, the CEO of humanoid entertainment robots manufacturer Engineered Arts, told The Verge that while Optimus' unveiling was an "extraordinary brave live demonstration," the robot itself lacked "novelty and imagination."

Jonathan Aitken, roboticist and teacher at UK's University of Sheffield, also told the outlet that the presentation was "interesting" but there were many questions to be answered regarding the robot's capabilities.

Cynthia Yeung, head of product at robot logistics company Plus One, complimented Musk's move of allowing his team to share the spotlight, but she was more straightforward than other experts in presenting her arguments about the robot.

"None of this is cutting edge. Hire some PhDs and go to some robotics conferences @Tesla," she tweeted.

One Twitter user had doubts whether Tesla actually manufactured the robot or purchased it from a robotics startup.

A Twitter user called Optimus "crappy," while another compared Tesla's humanoid bot to Boston Dynamics' Atlas, a humanoid robot that can leap, run and do perfect back flips.

Another user said Optimus was a "failure" and asked engineering and robotics design company Boston Dynamics what it thought about the robot.

While many experts listed a set of things Tesla could use as it continues to perfect its Optimus robot, a few others looked at the brighter side.

"What we're excited about is the learning cycles that we're seeing the company execute on the AI side. That's where we think the real value is," Oppenheimer's Tesla analyst Colin Rusch told Yahoo Finance.

Musk said Optimus was a machine that will revolutionize civilization in the future, adding that the goal was to make a "useful" humanoid bot as soon as possible.