During Donald Trump’s Oscar worthy presidential inauguration, Elon Musk silently unveiled an upgrade to Tesla’s Cybertruck. The new hand gesture, referred to as the Robot Roman, will solve the age-old problem of losing your car keys.
Since the Cybertruck was released in 2023, thousands of loyal Musk followers have continued to be locked out of their cars. In response to community feedback, Elon applied human-centred design methodology and worked backward to design a solution that renders keys redundant.
A recent Tesla whitepaper found that, in 99% of cases when people are looking for their keys, they check their hip pockets first, then their back pockets, yet the keys are always in their breast pocket. The paper also noted when individuals found their keys, they follow it with a fist punch in the air, that is up and to the right.
“It’s kinda funny, actually, how humans work. That fist punch we all do as we clench our newly found Cybertruck keys. What I’m saying with the Robot Roman gesture is–yes, you can have that joyous fist pump moment when you find your keys every-time, but without the frustration of looking for them. And to remind you of this innovation, and where Tesla and my thinking is moving, I’ve simply made the gesture from a closed fist to an open hand. To double down on the fact you don’t need keys anymore. That’s the freedom that every American deserves.”
Musk plans on rolling out the Robot Roman gesture across all sectors of society where humans and technology intersect. In the not too distant future, you will no longer need a transport card, a library card, or even a passport. The Robot Roman, one gesture to solve all your problems.