Elon Musk Insists That His Tesla Robots Will Be ‘Ready’ By September (Sure, Man)

Last Summer, before Elon Musk set his sights on buying Twitter, he told the world he intended to make humanoid robots. Called “Tesla Bot,” the creations would stand under six feet tall, weigh 125 pounds and deadlift 150 pounds. And like all predictions Musk has made in recent years, well, it’s best not to hold your breath about any of those particulars.

Still, Musk has very much insisted that the humanoid androids are, indeed, in production. And this week he actually said a prototype is well on the way. According to the New York Post, Tesla’s next AI Day may feature a working prototype of the creation the company showed off during last year’s event. Well, kind of. If you recall, the “prototype” was actually just a skinny person in a robot costume that moved jerkily and then started dancing.

Still, Musk had tweeted that things are quickly moving from robot costume to robot prototype, and in an interview he reiterated that a working prototype is very close to reality:

During an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, Musk said that the company is “tracking” toward a working prototype.

“Well, I hope that we will have an interesting prototype to show people,” he said.

“We have a very talented team at Tesla that I’m working with closely to have a prototype humanoid robot ready by the end of September.

“And I think we are tracking to that point.”

“Tracking to that point” of a working robot is certainly a far cry from having a working robot that can help build cars and walk around carrying 45 pounds like a real live boy. But it’s a bold claim, indeed, added to a list of bold claims Musk has made in recent years. Which is why many people were, to say the least, skeptical about the timeline offered here.

If we do get a prototype this fall, though, people are certainly expecting something a bit different than promised.

Can’t wait for September!