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Elon Musk Details The Tesla Robot In His Column For China’s Online Censorship Agency

Michelle Jones

Published: August 16, 2022 4:44 am

Last Updated: August 16, 2022 11:12 am

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has provided more information about the Tesla robot, officially called Tesla Optimus. Interestingly, the details came in a column he wrote for the Cyberspace Administration of China, the regulator responsible for censoring online content.

Elon Musk Cozies Up To The Chinese Government

According to Musk, China’s censorship regulator invited him to write a column on his “thoughts on the vision of technology and humanity,” including founding a settlement on Mars capable of sustaining itself. Sky News reported that the Tesla chief has described himself as a “free speech absolutist.”

In the column for the Cyberspace Administration of China, Musk highlighted the successes of three businesses: Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink. He also described what he sees as “a better future for humanity.” The column was titled “Believing in technology for a better future.”

Musk also emphasized the need for “any area that contributes to a sustainable future,” adding that such areas are “worthy of our investment.” The Tesla chief emphasized that Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink were all “founded with the ultimate goal of enhancing the future of human life and creating as much practical value for the world as possible.”

Musk has been highly critical of the U.S. government when it imposed lockdowns during the pandemic and other requirements that conflicted with his interests, labeling such moves as “fascism.” However, when Chinese authorities have made the same moves in an even harsher manner than Washington, he has kept quiet.

In China, Musk can only conduct his business at Beijing’s discretion — unlike in the U.S. The Tesla chief isn’t the only tech mogul who has tried to curry favor with Chinese authorities. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta Platforms chief Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai have also had varying degrees of success in their attempts to woo China’s Communist Party.

However, Musk has had tremendous success in his efforts, scoring the first auto factory in China that’s wholly owned by a foreign automaker. He has often praised China’s technological prowess.

Elon Musk Discusses His Plans For The Tesla Robot

In the column, Musk outlined his goal of a multi-planetary future for humanity through SpaceX and Tesla’s role in accelerating the adoption of sustainable energy. The Tesla chief also included a whole section about Tesla Optimus, a humanoid robot. Musk said recently that the Tesla robot had become one of the automaker’s top priorities.

The Beijing Channel, China’s state-run media outlet, translated the column into English, and Electrek shared the section about the Tesla robot. Musk launched the section by referring to autonomous vehicles, saying that cars “are increasingly like smart, web-connected robots on wheels.”

He added that humanoid robots are also becoming a reality. According to Musk, the Tesla Bot is approximately the same height and weight as an adult and capable of carrying or picking up heavy objects, walking fast in small steps and displaying messages on the screen on its face to communicate with humans.

Tesla plans to launch its first prototype of a humanoid robot this year with a focus on improving its intelligence and working out the problem of mass production. The automaker plans to reveal that prototype on Sept. 30 at its Tesla AI Day 2.

This article originally appeared on ValueWalk