- Last week, Xiaomi posted a video of CyberOne, a humanoid bot that looks a lot like designs for Tesla's Optimus.
- Elon Musk has said a prototype of a Tesla bot could be unveiled as soon as September.
- Xiaomi's new bot could provide some insight into what to expect for Tesla's AI day.
Xiaomi beat Tesla to building a functional humanoid robot, but the design for its CyberOne robot looks eerily similar to the electric-car maker's Optimus.
Last week, the Chinese tech company unveiled its first look at CyberOne during a live event in Beijing. The humanoid bot was able to walk across the stage and appeared to communicate with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun.
Tesla is expected to reveal more details on its own bot in September at the carmaker's second annual AI Day. Elon Musk has said Tesla may have an Optimus prototype ready by the September 30 event.
Until then, Xiaomi's new bot could provide some insight into what we can expect from a Tesla bot.
A spokesperson for Xiaomi didn't comment on the similarities between CyberOne and Tesla's designs.
Though Tesla's Optimus reveal included a man in a spandex suit, Musk shared several pictures of the Tesla bot concept design at the AI event.
Much like Tesla's Optimus, CyberOne stands at five foot eight inches. The bot also has the same white and black minimalist design, including an LED screen instead of a face. Though, CyberOne appears slightly bulkier.
Both Tesla and Xiaomi's humanoid robots draw a strong contrast to Boston Dynamic's bulkier and more dexterous bot, Atlas.
Xiaomi also said in its press release that the bot has the ability to detect human emotion — a feature that Musk has explored, claiming the Tesla bot could eventually develop a unique personality and even become a human companion.
CyberOne can move at a top speed of about 2.2 miles per hour, just shy of Tesla's planned speed of 5 miles per hour. Unlike the Optimus designs, CyberOne has mitten-like hands that can open and close, but don't appear to do much else.
The Chinese tech company has been known to riff off the designs of other tech companies. Over the past decade, the company has repeatedly released smartphones and internal updates that are almost indistinguishable from Apple's iPhone and iOS software. In 2014, former Apple Chief Design Officer Johnny Ive accused Xiaomi of "theft." An accusation which Xiaomi cofounder Lin Bin denied at the time. Last year, Xiaomi overtook Apple to become the world's second-biggest smartphone seller.
Unlike Tesla, Xiaomi does not appear to have any plans to turn CyberOne into some kind of human butler. In its press release, the company says CyberOne will "give birth to more application scenarios in other fields," emphasizing that the bot will act more as a marketing tool than a major product.
Take a look at the bot for yourself.