Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said his company’s new “humanoid robot” could be ready for market as soon as the end of next year.
Companies were already betting on the robots, enabled to perform repetitive tasks that could be dangerous or tedious, to meet potential labour shortages.
But was news this a positive step into the future or just plain frightening?
Gorilla Technology chief executive Paul Spain told Breakfast robots would inevitably be a part of the forthcoming "period of innovation."
"If they make them scary, we're all going to run for the hills, so I think we will see reasonably friendly devices."
The robots could be used in industries such as logistics, warehousing and retail.
"There are tasks today that I think will be very helpful for robots to do, and there are already lots of tasks being done by robots around New Zealand."
Spain said it was the "next level" of household robotics compared to dishwashers and automatic washing machines.
"We've got these very specific robots today, but I think we would probably all enjoy some of the benefits of having a little help around the home from time to time."
When asked how businesses would balance the cost of human labour compared to buying the robots, Spain said the equipment was "relatively cheap" when measured over time.
"The suggestions indicate that a Tesla robot for instance and some of the robots from Boston Dynamics are sub $100,000, maybe even sub $50,000."
He said he was "pretty upbeat" about the innovation but added that appropriate legislation would be needed.
Spain said one of Tesla's hallmarks was its fast innovation, noting it operated in a "start-up mode" despite the scale of thecompany.
"However, any time frames you hear from Tesla you usually have to take with a grain of salt, especially if they come from Musk's lips."
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