The director of the 2004 film I, Robot has taken to social media to share the similarities between movie elements and Tesla’s newest products.
Fresh on the heels of Tesla’s latest product presentation, a prominent movie director has taken to social media accusing Elon Musk of copying his designs.
Alex Proyas – the director of the 2004 science fiction film I, Robot – posted to X (formerly Twitter) to share the design similarities between the movie and Tesla’s newest products, with Proyas stating, “Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?”.
The latest Tesla event – cheekily titled “We, Robot” – unveiled the next phase of the car maker’s plan, which includes a fully autonomous car without steering wheels and pedals dubbed the ‘Cybercab’ and a self-driving 20-seater bus called the ‘Robovan’.
Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please? #ElonMusk #Elon_Musk pic.twitter.com/WPgxHevr6E
— Alex Proyas (@alex_proyas) October 13, 2024
The Robovan and Cybercab will be driven by an updated version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software – which Musk claims won’t require any human control – and is powered by cameras instead of the traditional lidar technology other car makers use.
While Tesla is yet to confirm production and launch dates for the 20-seat Robovan, the electric auto giant said the smaller Cybercab is due for a US launch in 2026.
According to Tesla, the Cybercab will have an estimated price of $US30,000 ($AU44,000) and is aimed at private buyers looking to utilise the self-driving car for rideshare operations.
“I think there will be an interesting business model where somebody is an Uber or Lyft driver today, [and] where they can manage a fleet of cars – 10, 20 cars – and just take care of them like a shepherd tends to their flock,” Musk said in the presentation.
In addition to the new self-driving cars, Musk unveiled a humanoid robot dubbed ‘Optimus’, with social media users debating if the robot was legitimately autonomous or if it was remotely controlled.
Various X users commenting on Proyas’ post came to the defence of Musk, with one writing, “Weird take… you feel you inspired the future yet you’re trying to dunk on the person who made it a reality.”
While another said, “You know someone is now going to go and find pictures that predate yours, and claim you stole from them?”.
The post Elon Musk accused of copying designs by Hollywood movie director appeared first on Drive.
