Musk: Tesla's humanoid robots may be bigger than the electric vehicle business

On Wednesday's earnings call, Musk said Tesla's future humanoid robot, Optimus, is the most important product development project in 2022, and may even be more important than the automotive business, such as the much-talked-about Cyberruck and other vehicles (including Semi and Roadster).

Musk said the first use of Tesla's robot could be to move parts in its own factory, and said the company has no plans to launch Cyberruck this year, nor is it currently working on a $25,000 vehicle because of chip shortages that will affect total production.

While the launch of the Tesla robot may still be years away and may never materialize, Musk said Wednesday that it does have the potential to revolutionize the economy if it can accomplish what it can now only do by humans.

He stressed that the foundation of the economy is labor, and the Optimus robot will play a big role in the case of labor shortage.

Last August, Musk announced that a prototype of a humanoid "Tesla robot" could be launched in 2022. The 5-foot-8-inch (1.72-meter) Tesla robot, which weighs 125 pounds (about 56.7 kilograms), will be used to fill the labor gap and perform tasks that are dangerous, repetitive, or too boring for people to do, such as mounting bolts to a car with a wrench or going to a store to buy groceries.

The Tesla robot head, which is mounted with a camera for navigation and driven by an artificial neural network, will have a screen on its face to display and provide information, and the hand can perform movements like a human hand. It's especially important that this new product isn't super expensive.

Combined with labor market information, robots will play a pivotal and important role in the future economy.

Bloomberg cites a new report from the International Federation of Robotics that spending on professional service robots increased by 12 percent last year. Millions of American workers have decided to quit or retire early during the pandemic, making it harder for businesses to find the right jobs. Labor shortages have contributed to rising wages, and in response to rising wages and labor shortages, automation is rapidly expanding in businesses of all sizes. Robots help companies simplify inefficient tasks and cut labor costs in an inflationary environment.

During the epidemic, U.S. airports and hospitals have introduced disinfection robots that kill microorganisms, fast food chains have adopted robots that burn hamburgers, and restaurants have begun to use robotic waiters.

As the pandemic eases, the automation trend will continue to intensify. Orders for robotic machinery from U.S. automotive, agricultural, construction, electronics, food processing and warehousing companies have increased significantly since last year.