A robot-based business would be worth more than a car-based business, the billionaire said. He wants to move beyond self-driving cars, which he has repeatedly promised.
Onstage, a robot model waved to the audience. In the automaker's factory, a video showed the robot moving metal bars and watering plants.
"Our goal is to make a useful humanoid robot as soon as possible," Musk said.
"Optimus needs a lot of work to be effective."
Musk said humanoid robots "lack a brain" because they can't travel the world independently. He also said they're expensive and rare.
Optimus would be mass-produced in the millions and cost less than $20,000, he said.
Musk expected to discuss Tesla's self-driving car technology.
In May, the CEO said the world's most valuable car company would be "worthless" without self-driving cars. The company faces regulatory and technological challenges.
"There will be a lot of technical detail and cool hardware demos," Musk tweeted late Wednesday. He said the event sought new engineers. Tesla's live demos aren't perfect.
Musk had an employee throw a steel ball at an electric pickup truck's armored window in 2019, breaking it.
Musk discussed humanoid robots at Tesla's AI day last August. This year's AI day was moved from August to September to test the robot prototype and start production next year.
Tesla posted a picture of robot hands making a heart as a hint about when the bot would be revealed. Heni Ben Amor, a robotics professor at Arizona State University, said it's difficult to make human-like hands that can do different things.
Musk says Optimus used to do boring or dangerous jobs like moving parts or tightening car bolts. This referenced the powerful and good-hearted Autobot leader in Transformers.
"Humans can do so much with their hands that robots can't. Jonathan Hurst, CTO of Agility Robotics, a humanoid robot maker, said that doesn't matter.
Musk says robots could be used in homes to make dinner, mow the lawn, care for the elderly, and even be a sex partner.
He will also discuss Tesla's high-speed computer, Dojo, at the event on Friday. Dojo is a key part of the company's self-driving technology.
Musk says Tesla will be fully self-driving this year and a robotaxi will be mass-produced by 2024.
Musk promised 1 million robotaxis by 2020 at a 2019 "Autonomy" event, but he hasn't delivered.
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