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Tesla's bot figurine is selling at a premium online

Shen Mengdan
Tesla's humanoid robot model, the Tesla Bot, which is currently out of stock on the official website, is selling at a premium on China's second-hand trading sites.
Shen Mengdan
Tesla's bot figurine is selling at a premium online

Tesla's website lists the Tesla Bot Action Figure as out of stock.

The action figure of Tesla's humanoid robot model, the Tesla Bot, is being sold on second-hand trading platforms after its official online sale was all snapped up on December 26, 2024.

The bot figurine, equipped with a CyberHammer and a charging station, retails for 199 yuan (US$27) in official sales, but it commands a premium on second-hand platforms.

With more than 40 parts and 20 points of articulation, the Tesla Bot Action Figure is a 1:10-scale collectible and playable figurine that mimics Optimus, the company's second-generation humanoid robot, which made its debut as a prototype in 2022.

Measuring about 48 grams, the figure is 5.5 centimeters wide and 18.2 centimeters tall.

The official website lists the item as out of stock. However, they can be found on second-hand websites at a price five times higher.

Tesla's bot figurine is selling at a premium online
Shen Mengdan / SHINE

A screenshot of the Chinese second-hand trading platform Goofish.

The action figure itself has no motorized features, but it showcases Tesla's ambition in developing humanoid robots.

Humanoid robots are the intersection of three core competencies: technology, manufacturing, and service, and the best demonstration of the integration of hardware and software with AI technology, as it's said in an industry paper.

Automobile manufacturers are focusing on the development of humanoid robots because, as mimics of human anthropomorphism, they can seamlessly replace human work in numerous scenarios, unlike traditional robots such as robotic arms.

Since the general assembly segment is still labor-intensive in the automotive manufacturing process, only humanoid robots can replace it, as it is difficult for current robotic arms to manage complex and delicate work.

Furthermore, autonomous driving technology and humanoid robots share similarities, as the production of bionic robots can incorporate autonomous driving technology.

Thus, humanoid robots have emerged as the ideal product for numerous technology companies and industrial leaders to demonstrate their extensive research and development capabilities, with automobile manufacturers such as Tesla, Xiaomi, and Xpeng serving as key representatives.

Tesla, the first car company to develop a humanoid robot, first proposed the concept of Optimus in August 2021 and released the prototype in September 2022.

At Tesla's shareholders' meeting in 2023, the Optimus evolved quite a bit, with its footsteps smoother and its movements more skillful. It was also capable of autonomously categorizing objects.

Early in 2018, Xiaomi, a domestic smartphone and smart hardware company, established a robotics laboratory, and in 2021, it released the first generation of quadrupedal robot CyberDog to the public.

CyberOne, a full-size humanoid bionic robot, made its public debut in August 2022, even before Tesla's Optimus.

Tesla's bot figurine is selling at a premium online
Ti Gong

Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun introduces CyberOne.

The domestic new car-making force Xpeng also released its first humanoid robot, codenamed PX5, on October 24, 2023, with human-like balance and very flexible arms.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has emphasized that the Tesla Optimus robotics program will be more valuable than its automotive business and Full-Self Driving, Tesla's full autonomous driving system.

He even predicted that humanoid robots could outnumber humans by 2040.

"Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use in 2025 and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026," Elon Musk said in an X post.

The humanoid robot industry could be booming in the coming years.

By 2029, China's humanoid robot market is expected to expand to 75 billion yuan (US$10 billion), accounting for 32.7 percent of the global market; and by 2035, this market size is expected to further increase to 300 billion yuan, according to the Humanoid Robot Industry Research Report released at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2024.


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