While Elon Musk’s prediction that robots will outnumber human beings by 2040 concerns some people, a PNW mechatronics expert is impressed by the progress being made with androids.
“I want to give credit to Tesla,” said Maged Mikhail, a professor in Mechatronic Engineering. “A lot of companies started too early and didn’t get to this stage which Tesla achieved in two years or so.”
Last month, Tesla CEO Musk unveiled Optimus, a Tesla-branded robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall, is able to move at about 5 mph and can carry up to 45 pounds. Musk said the robot is capable of completing various tasks, from serving drinks at a bar to folding laundry or walking the dog.
Just a few days ago, Musk predicted that these kinds of machines will outnumber humans in less than two decades.
“I think by 2040, there will probably be more humanoid robots than there are people,” Musk said during an Oct. 29 appearance at the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia.
The Optimus robot Musk touts is created from technology used in Tesla’s vehicles and automated systems, including artificial intelligence and navigation systems.
“We use all these types of technology in my research and my courses,” said Mikhail. “We try to let the students be aware of the technology because the industry is lacking people who are familiar with the technology and we want our students to be ready to take this technology and implement it in real applications.”
Robots are expected to gain wider use in a variety of industries as employers use them to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
“Robots will for sure take over unskilled jobs, but also create more jobs,” he said.
He also said that robots will not jeopardize the future.
“Everything is controlled by humans,” he said. “You are the one writing the programs and the robots will certainly be programmed to follow certain ethical rules.”
But Americans remain skeptical.
Recent YouGov surveys found 35% of full-time and part-time workers are very or somewhat concerned that AI advances may result in them losing their job or having their hours or salaries cut. Among workers who use AI tools at work – about 42% of workers — 46% are worried about AI taking their job or reducing their hours. Among those who never use AI tools at work, 26% are concerned about this.
Tesla is not alone in the race to build robots.
Boston Dynamics, a rival in the robotics industry, has spent more than 10 years working on its humanoid robot Atlas, which is capable of performing the athletic training discipline parkour. Several other companies across the world are also developing humanoid robots.
The decline in cost – Musk said his Optimus robot will sell for $20,000 to $30,000 – will likely increase interest in the devices.
But Mikhail said he would only buy a robot if he can access its API (application programming interface), the rules and protocols that allow software applications to communicate with each other. Access to API would allow users to make changes to the software or hardware and study it more closely.
Oh, and there is one other condition:
“If I have money,” Mikhail said.