Having grown up with the thrilling yet unfulfilled promises of a future full of C-3PO-style robots, a future I thought would never materialize, the Tesla Bot represents a step toward that once-unseen reality. Along with the innovative advances first pioneered by Boston Dynamics, the Tesla Bot signals that the future is starting to take shape.

However, despite the impressive advances in humanoid robotics, a fully realized, fully autonomous, human-like robot is still many years away. That said, the developments we are witnessing from companies like Tesla and Boston Dynamics are truly groundbreaking.

Yet, we are already becoming accustomed to the magic of technology being part of everyday life. While robotic technology is still likely a decade away from being as articulate and natural as the average human being, the progress is undeniable.

For robotics to truly become the future, the limiting factor isn’t mechanical engineering, but rather the hardware technology. In simple terms, robotic systems will need significantly more powerful computing—by orders of magnitude.

While the latest generation of computer hardware is extremely powerful and efficient, achieving that C-3PO experience promised by Elon Musk will require the next level of computer hardware, and beyond.

But for now, the Tesla Bot is more like an advanced prototype demonstrator, primarily designed to perform pre-programmed dance sequences—definitely not the future I had envisioned.