Tesla to build 1 million Optimus bots
PLUS: An ex-Nvidia team is building robot brains and bots that zap weeds with lasers
Welcome back to your Robot Briefing
Tesla announced plans to manufacture 1 million Optimus humanoid robots per year at $20,000 each, a staggering commitment that positions the bot as a consumer product on par with smartphones. Elon Musk projects this could transform Tesla into a $25 trillion company.
The aggressive timeline and price point raise a fundamental question: is this the moment humanoid robots cross from industrial novelty to household necessity, or is Tesla promising more than current technology can deliver at scale?
In today's Robot update:
Tesla's Million-Bot Plan
Snapshot: Tesla enters mass production of its Optimus humanoid robot with plans to manufacture 1 million units annually at a target price of $20,000 , positioning the bot as a consumer product rather than industrial equipment.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: Tesla's shift from prototype demos to million-unit production targets signals the company's conviction that humanoid robots are ready for mainstream adoption. The aggressive pricing and timeline will test whether the market for personal robotics exists at the scale Musk envisions.
The Brains Behind the Bots
Snapshot: Flexion, a Zurich-based startup founded by ex-Nvidia researchers, raised $50 million in Series A funding to build a general-purpose AI "brain" for humanoid robots that can adapt and learn without relying on human demonstrations.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: Flexion addresses one of robotics' biggest bottlenecks by reducing dependence on manual human training data through high-performance simulation. Their morphology-agnostic platform could unlock humanoid robots that perform useful work across industries from manufacturing to disaster response without constant human oversight.
LG's Humanoid Power Play
Snapshot: LG is positioning itself as a core supplier for the humanoid robotics industry, aiming to provide camera modules and batteries to major players like Figure AI as the market races toward a projected $38 billion valuation by 2035.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: LG's multi-layered approach addresses a critical gap as U. S. robotics companies seek reliable, non-Chinese component suppliers amid rising security concerns. The conglomerate's bet on becoming essential infrastructure for humanoid robots could position it at the center of an industry Goldman Sachs expects will ship 1.38 million units annually by 2035.
Lasers vs. Weeds
Snapshot: German startup Naiture has deployed Beam, an AI-powered robot that uses high-precision lasers to distinguish between crops and weeds, burning unwanted plants at the root without pesticides. The system achieves almost 100% recognition accuracy and is now entering serial production for commercial sale to farmers starting in 2026.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: This technology addresses three critical pressures facing modern agriculture: environmental sustainability, labor scarcity, and soil health preservation. Farms can now remove weeds with precision and zero chemicals, making organic farming more economically viable at scale.
Other Top Robot Stories
MarketsandMarkets projects the agricultural robot market will surge from $17.73 billion to $56.26 billion by 2030—a 217% expansion driven by labor shortages, precision farming demand, and automation adoption across major segments including robotic prostatectomy systems, partial nephrectomy platforms, and farm produce handling.
Distalmotion raised $150 million in Series G funding to accelerate U. S. commercialization of its DEXTER surgical robot, targeting the rapidly growing ambulatory surgery center market with a mobile platform that fits any operating room without modifications and keeps surgeons at the patient's bedside.
MindOn trained the Unitree G1 humanoid to perform household chores like watering plants, closing curtains, and tidying up with natural fluid movements—notably without any teleoperation, marking a shift toward fully autonomous home robots that can handle tasks requiring sensitivity and dexterity.
🤖 Your robotics thought for today:
How might robots help us discover what we're truly capable of when we're no longer exhausted by the things that drain us?
P.S. What's your take on this?
Enjoy your weekend,
Uli
