SA Born Tech Billionaire Elon Musk Gives Optimus Bot ‘A Hand’ for Human Ability
- South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk has applauded his latest invention's impressive motor ability
- Musk posted a video of the Optimus bot, created by Tesla, catching a ball, among its wide array of human actions
- The online community greeted the post with mixed reactions, as some expressed fear over a future bot takeover
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TEXAS — South African-born entrepreneur, tech billionaire and US government administration head Elon Musk is applauding his latest invention.
In October, Musk unveiled Optimus, a faceless general purpose, bi-pedal bot known as an autonomous assistant and humanoid friend created by Tesla.
Musk gives Optimus bot 'a hand'
At a showcase at the electric car manufacturer's factory at the time, the inventor said the advanced creation could even babysit children.
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Priced between $28,000 and $30,000 (R490,000 and R530,000), Optimus is expected to be mass-produced next year and available on a broader scale in 2026.
In a post on his platform X on Thursday, 28 November 2024, the businessman applauded Optimus' ability to catch a ball.
"Let’s give Optimus a hand for catching"[a] ball!" read the caption.
The 16-second clip, which raked in over 16 million views, shows a human throwing tennis balls at the robot, which it catches with surgical precision.
It looks to the side after catching the second, appearing to nod in approval. And so, too, after Musk's good fortune following former US President Donald Trump's election victory on 5 November.
He scored a government administration role in the upcoming Trump administration after the President-elect's inauguration on 20 January 2025, where, alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, another entrepreneur, Musk will lead a newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
This was not before he saw a rise in his fortune. On election day, he added an estimated $15 billion to his wealth, pushing his overall net worth above $280 billion. It has since eclipsed $300 million as Tesla's market value surged.
Online community on the fence
Social media users, who expressed polarising views, had plenty of questions and then some, given the bot's insane human-like ability.
@heydave7 wrote:
"Wow, that’s impressive!"
@stillgray said:
"In the future, they’ll be able to play professional sports."
@dogeofficialceo expressed:
"Pretty much better than the average human already."
@RealDrJaneRuby noted:
"We have no idea what this thing is programmed to do."
@GuntherEagleman wrote:
"Will Optimus be able to pilot an airplane?"
Tesla robot shows personality
In related news, Briefly News reported that a viral clip had social media abuzz after an Optimus bot called for personal space in a human-esque fashion.
The TikTok video showed one guy introducing himself and chatting with Optimus about his capabilities.
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Source: Briefly News
