China Unveils 13-Foot Neo1 Robot, Elon Musk Jokes About Building Optimus Prime

Chinese startup NeodraDynamics revealed Neo1, a 4-meter-tall humanoid robot weighing 1.2 tons capable of lifting 500 kilograms, at the 2026 China International Industry Fair. The robot is designed for heavy industry tasks such as port handling, mining and disaster rescue. Elon Musk joked that his Tesla Optimus robot will one day build Optimus Prime, highlighting the split between China's focus on giant industrial machines and Tesla's human-sized helpers.