Elon Musk has stated that Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot could perform medical procedures with superhuman precision, potentially democratizing elite healthcare worldwide. During a recent shareholder meeting and conversation with investor Ron Baron, Musk argued that the robot addresses key limitations in global healthcare systems caused by a shortage of skilled specialists. He also suggested Optimus could eliminate poverty by tackling labor shortages and inequality.
Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot, first unveiled in 2021, stands at 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 56 kilograms. It is designed to perform repetitive, dangerous, or dull tasks, with capabilities including walking and lifting objects. Musk envisions mass production at prices between $20,000 and $30,000 per unit, far below competitors like Boston Dynamics' Atlas, which costs over $100,000. Production targets include several thousand units in 2025 and 50,000 in 2026.
In a conversation with Ron Baron, founder of Baron Capital, Musk highlighted healthcare challenges. "People often talk about eliminating poverty and providing great medical care, but they never actually have a solution," he said. He noted that even developed nations face bottlenecks due to limited specialists: "There are only so many highly skilled surgeons and specialists, and they don’t grow on trees." Musk claimed Optimus could offer "superhuman" precision for sophisticated procedures beyond human capability, enabling consistent high-precision care without lengthy training.
At a recent Tesla shareholder meeting, Musk expanded on Optimus's broader impact. "With humanoid robots, you can actually give everyone amazing medical care. Optimus will ultimately be better than the best human surgeon with a level of precision that is beyond human," he stated. He added, "People always talked about eliminating poverty, but Optimus will actually eliminate poverty," by addressing labor crises, wealth inequality, and resource scarcity in a global workforce of about 3.7 billion people.
Musk also discussed future integration with Neuralink, predicting mind uploads to Optimus bodies within less than 20 years. "With the help of Neuralink, one has a snapshot of somebody’s mind and then uploads that approximate snapshot to Optimus' body. I think at some point that technology will become possible. It's probably less than 20 years," he said. Currently, Optimus demos show basic functions like walking, balancing, and lifting small boxes in controlled settings, though experts remain skeptical about scaling challenges, dexterity in chaotic environments, and supply chain issues, particularly reliance on Chinese components amid geopolitical tensions.
Tesla leverages its AI expertise from Full Self-Driving for Optimus, using in-house compute, custom silicon, and the Dojo supercomputer. Musk ties much of Tesla's future value to Optimus, estimating it could represent 80% of long-term value, amid the company's 2025 challenges including a 6% drop in deliveries for the first nine months.
