Tesla begins humanoid production in California

Early customers for Optimus robots would use them for industrial applications, such as dangerous, repetitive tasks, CEO Elon Musk said.

Tesla is ramping production as competitors Toyota, Hyundai and others begin piloting humanoids on their factory floors. They are also positioning to be mobility companies that make their own robots, rather than just car manufacturers.

Toyota plans to deploy 400,000 robots as part of a $6.4 billion annual investment plan to automate its assembly lines, the Financial Times reported Monday. The company’s research division has developed a foundational model that it can use for its in-house humanoid Embodied Learning robot for Enhancing Yield, or ELEY, to learn tasks by observing factory workers.

Last month, Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Hyundai, opened its robotics center in Savannah, Georgia, where it can test and train Atlas humanoids for use across Hyundai’s automotive factories. The company had said that it will begin exploring use cases for other industry sectors next year.

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