(Interesting Engineering) Tesla CEO Elon Musk envisions a future where the company’s humanoid robots, called Optimus, are capable of completing a range of tasks. This also includes evaluating the bulletproof capabilities of the Cybertruck, Tesla’s long-coming electric pickup truck.
Cybertruck’s first deliveries
On November 30, Tesla celebrated the first deliveries of its much-awaited Cybertruck to a handful of customers, who received their vehicles from Musk at the company’s Austin headquarters.
The Cybertruck, unveiled in 2019, is expected to hit the mass market in 2025, starting with the rear-wheel-drive model that boasts a range of up to 250 miles (402 km) per charge and a price tag of $60,990. However, Tesla hopes that the cost could drop below $50,000 with government EV incentives, with an estimated figure of $49,890.
Cybertruck’s bullet test
During the live-streamed launch event on X, Musk also revealed some footage of the Cybertruck’s bullet test, which he had confirmed in October. The trial involved shooting the Cybertruck’s doors with various guns, including a Tommy Gun, a Glock, an MP5-SD, and a shotgun, to demonstrate the vehicle’s strength and durability.
Behind the scenes https://t.co/xytpbvrnFJ pic.twitter.com/K7pZmGnGTv
— Cybertruck (@cybertruck) December 1, 2023
The results were impressive, as the Cybertruck’s doors did not allow any bullets to penetrate, although they did show some dents and marks. Musk explained that the Cybertruck was not designed to be bulletproof, but it was a nice bonus that it could withstand such attacks.
Tesla Bots’ viral video
However, the bullet test was not the end of the story, as a YouTube channel called SoKrispyMedia, which has over 2.4 million subscribers, posted a video of the Cybertruck’s bullet test with a twist. The video, which uses computer-generated imagery and is not real, shows three Tesla bots recreating the bullet test by themselves.
One of the bots wears a Texas cap and fires the guns, another bot hands over the guns, and the third bot sits inside the Cybertruck. After several shots, the bot driver emerges from the Cybertruck and says, “I am alive.”
We could probably make this real next year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2023
