The Tesla Bot
Your own personal robot assistant of the future.
On one of our recent road trips, my husband and I killed time with several random discussions. One of the topics that came up was how I was scared that I would grow up old and alone. It would suck! I would want companionship and someone to help me with some of the mundane things. Suddenly he smirked, thumbed away on his phone, turned the screen around, and showed me the Tesla Bot.
I suddenly started thinking about all of the movies I have seen over the years about Artificial Intelligence. Movies like Bicentennial Man, I am Robot, and Big Hero 6 came to mind. If you are a Terminator fan, perhaps the term “Skynet” comes to mind too…
Can I really expect a full-body robot to work for me in my lifetime?
First of all, I’m a writer. Not a psychic.
However, I can say with some confidence that the answer is: Yes. Why do I feel confident about my answer? Because time is proving that we are on an accelerated track of development. (If for good or bad is another topic.) Regardless, we are making some impressive technological strides.
Thirty years ago, I remembered picking up the telephone and knocking my mom’s AOL dial-up internet connection offline. That was also when Pong was awesome, and every time I played The Oregon Trail, I knew I would probably die from dysentery again. In middle school, we’d write about the future and what we think it would be like. Our answers were typical of children: Self-driving cars, robotic vacuums, and handheld computers.
Look around, folks. We have those now and are available to everyday consumers. Is it that farfetched to think about having an actual robotic assistant? (Sorry Siri, but you’re about to get your ass kicked to the curb with Tesla Bot.)
Patrick Allan wrote a tremendous Medium article providing “A Snapshot of Millennial Retirement.” He makes some excellent points and states that more and more people are opting out of a marriage and deciding not to have children. However, with life expectancy continuously being prolonged, the cost of living going up, and many Americans having to work well past retirement age, I am utterly concerned about long-term health care needs. I think this is where something like a Tesla Bot can come in handy.
In Elon Musk’s unveiling of the Tesla Bot, it was emphasized that the robot’s purpose is to eliminate the need for humans to do mundane, dangerous, or tedious tasks. For the full presentation, check out the video below:
If this can actually be pulled off, I think it could help several people down the road, such as:
- Elderly: Not only could this help with tasks, but it could also provide some companionship.
- Handicapped and disabled: Similar to elderly individuals, the Tesla Bot can provide some additional freedom.
- Single parents: Every chance to get free time is huge for single parents. Not to mention, another set of hands around the house would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t know about you, but I can see me getting one, and I’m going to name him CRAIG:
Crystal’s Readily Available Intellectual Guy
Hey there, Elon Musk. If you need someone to test it out, give me a call!
What do you think? Would you accept the idea of a human-sized robot in your home? 🤖
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