Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says

A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters
A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters
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Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says

A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters
A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters

Tesla will have humanoid robots in low production for the company's internal use next year, CEO Elon Musk said on Monday, months after he announced that the rollout would be by the end of 2024.
The company will have the robots in high production for other companies' use "hopefully" in 2026, Musk said in a post on social media platform X.
Musk had said in April that the Tesla robot, called Optimus, would be able to perform tasks in the factory by the end of this year and could be ready for sale as soon as the end of 2025, Reuters reported.
Humanoid robots have been in development for several years by Japan's Honda and Hyundai Motor's Boston Dynamics. Several companies are betting on them to meet potential labor shortages and perform repetitive tasks that could be dangerous or tedious in industries such as logistics, warehousing and manufacturing.
Musk has a history of failing to fulfill bold promises to Wall Street. In 2019, he told investors that Tesla would be operating a network of "robotaxi" autonomous cars by 2020.
Tesla put out the first generation of its Optimus robot, dubbed Bumblebee, in September 2022. This year, the company posted a video of a second generation of the bipedal robot folding a T-shirt at the firm's facility.



Decision on Digital Pound over Two Years Away, Bank of England Says

A view of the Bank of England and the financial district, in London, Britain, September 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mina Kim/File Photo
A view of the Bank of England and the financial district, in London, Britain, September 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mina Kim/File Photo
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Decision on Digital Pound over Two Years Away, Bank of England Says

A view of the Bank of England and the financial district, in London, Britain, September 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mina Kim/File Photo
A view of the Bank of England and the financial district, in London, Britain, September 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mina Kim/File Photo

No decision will be made for at least a couple of years on whether Britain will go ahead with a central bank digital currency for the general public, the Bank of England said on Tuesday, pushing back the timeline for the project.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak championed the idea of a digital currency in 2021 when he was finance minister, but the BoE and the current government have been more reluctant and a public consultation attracted widespread privacy concerns.

Governor Andrew Bailey said in October that a central bank digital currency was "not my preferred option" but might be needed if British banks did not ensure their payment systems were more attractive than those offered by less regulated tech companies, Reuters reported.

The BoE said on Tuesday it was starting work with Britain's finance ministry on a potential design for a digital currency, in line with plans in a previous consultation.

"After completing the design phase over the next couple of years, including taking account of developments in the wider payments landscape, the Bank and government will assess the policy case for a digital pound and determine whether or not to proceed," the BoE said.

In January 2024, the BoE said a decision on whether to go ahead with a digital currency would not be made before 2025 at the earliest.

Britain's government has said a digital pound would be private but not anonymous, unlike physical cash.

As with existing bank accounts and credit card payments, authorities would be able to track transactions they suspect involve money laundering or finance terrorism.

"This legislation would safeguard users' privacy, guaranteeing that neither the Bank nor the government could access users' personal information nor control how households and businesses use their money," the BoE said.