Tesla and Zeroth advance competing approaches to humanoid robotics

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company aims to begin selling its Optimus humanoid robot to the public by the end of 2027. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Musk noted that while the company intends for Optimus to become a primary business pillar, initial production will be extremely slow as the company scales the necessary supply chains for mechanical, electronic, and AI components.

Tesla is currently developing specific production lines for the robot and plans to deploy the first units within its own facilities before a market debut. This timeline aligns with recent JPMorgan reports suggesting commercial production could begin in the second half of 2027.

In a different approach to the sector, the Suzhou-based company Zeroth has introduced Bridge, an 88-centimeter humanoid robot designed as an open-source development platform. Unlike the proprietary systems from companies like Tesla or Boston Dynamics, Bridge utilizes the OpenBridge ecosystem, allowing developers to create, share, and reuse robotic skills through a public Skill Hub. The robot is designed for desktop or individual workspace use, focusing on AI-native architecture to enable adaptable behaviors rather than pre-programmed movements.