Humanoid robots have long been a punchline, from clumsy factory demos to viral clips of machines tripping over cables. Tesla’s Optimus project arrived in that context, easy to mock and easier to dismiss as a distraction from electric cars.

The revolutionary Tesla Model S and Model X have met the end of their road for...robots?

The unexpected reveal came at the end of Tesla's AI Day presentation, with Musk providing few details about the slightly creepy, Slenderman-like robot beyond a few PowerPoint slides. The 5-foot-8-inch robot is expected to weigh in at 125 pounds and be ...