Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will begin producing and utilizing humanoid robots starting next year.
In a social media post, Musk stated that these robots, known as Optimus, will initially be used by Tesla, with plans to start selling them in 2026.
Musk had previously mentioned that Optimus would be operational in Tesla factories by the end of this year. Other companies, such as Honda and Boston Dynamics, are also developing their own humanoid robots.
“Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026,” Mr Musk said on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
It came just a day before Tesla was due to release its latest financial results.
The company’s shares ended Monday’s trading session in New York up by more than 5%.
The company has said it aims to build an “autonomous humanoid robot” to perform “unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks.”
Mr Musk has previously said Tesla aimed for the robots to be mass produced and cost less than $20,000 (£17,900) each.
He is known for setting ambitious timelines for his companies, which he has not always met.
In 2019, he said he felt “very confident” Tesla would have self-driving taxis on the road by the following year.
Earlier this year, Mr Musk said the long-awaited robotaxi would be unveiled on 8 August.
Last week, he appeared to confirm a report that the event would be delayed.
Mr Musk did not give a new date but said he had requested a change to the front of the vehicle.
“The extra time allows us to show off a few other things,” he wrote.
This announcement followed a Bloomberg News report indicating that the event had been postponed to October.
Musk’s companies have increasingly turned their attention to technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and robotics amidst a period of slowing demand for electric vehicles.