‘My Robots’: Sci-fi director looks at Elon Musk’s Cybercab and Optimus and detects a copy cat

'My Robots': Sci-fi director looks at Elon Musk's Cybercab and Optimus and detects a copy cat

As a seasoned movie buff with decades of sci-fi films under my belt, I can’t help but notice the uncanny resemblance between Elon Musk’s latest Tesla creations and designs from our favorite futuristic flicks. It seems that Mr. Musk has been watching a bit too much late-night television in his lab.


Tesla’s Robovan may operate autonomously, but according to one sci-fi director, Elon Musk doesn’t.

On Thursday, Elon Musk unveiled new prototypes for Tesla’s autonomous electric bus, self-driving Cybercab, and robotic humanoid Optimus (also known as the Tesla bot). However, some critics argue that these advanced designs by the automotive leader have a striking similarity to concepts seen in a science fiction movie from twenty years ago.

In a recent post on Reddit, director Alex Proyas playfully criticized Elon Musk for alleged similarities between his 2004 film “I, Robot” and some newly introduced Tesla products. He juxtaposed images of scenes from the movie with pictures of these new Tesla items to emphasize the resemblance. These products were showcased at a recent event named “We, Robot,” which title is reminiscent of the Isaac Asimov short-story collection that inspired Proyas’ film.

“Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?” Proyas wrote, to mixed reception.

“Elon has no ideas of his own … and no leadership ability,” one user replied.

It’s great that someone might be able to bring this idea to fruition. I’m sure you wouldn’t, however.” (paraphrased)

On Monday, neither Proyas’ nor Musk’s representatives provided an immediate response when The Times asked for a comment.

Previously, there have been instances where a Tesla product has borne a resemblance to vehicles seen in futuristic film sets. For example, the Cybertruck of 2019 was likened by some to the sleek steel car from Paul Verhoeven’s “Total Recall.” (Source: Deadline)

In numerous instances, real life has taken inspiration from science fiction artwork. For example, modern trash-collecting robots share similarities with Pixar’s “Wall-E”, and wireless earbuds function similarly to the thimble radios in “Fahrenheit 451”.

At the rescheduled Thursday gathering (originally planned for August but pushed back while technology adjustments were made), Elon Musk expressed his ambition to transform travel through his self-driving taxi and van services. He further mentioned that Tesla aims to have completely autonomous vehicles on the road as early as next year.

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, stated that the Optimus robots he introduced, which displayed peace signs and provided beverages to guests, will lower costs and increase accessibility for various goods and services, according to The Times’ report from last Friday.

In his speech, Musk shared that we’re heading towards an era of unprecedented prosperity, a level rarely imagined by many.

It appears that investors are expressing caution towards Elon Musk’s grand scheme. By the end of last week, Tesla’s stocks were being traded around $219.50, representing a decrease of 8% for the day.

Read More

2024-10-15 03:31

Previous post Disney+ sets release date for new Beatles documentary
Next post Wild footage resurfaces of Robbie Williams ‘snogging’ Aussie reporter on her first day of work