Billionaire Elon Musk recently took to Twitter to unveil a spectacle straight out of the future. In a video, Musk showcased two of Tesla’s humanoid robot prototypes, known as the Optimus bot, grooving to the rhythm of electronic music under an array of flashing lights.
This new robot prototype showcases the technological leaps the company made over the past year, when, during a similar demonstration, Tesla staff had to manually position one of the prototypes. As per Tesla, the Optimus bot is designed to perform basic tasks using a trained neural network.
Optimuspic.twitter.com/nbRohLQ7RH
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 13, 2023
The goal of this "bipedal autonomous humanoid" is to replace humans in performing unsafe or mundane tasks, as stated on Tesla’s website. However, the Optimus bot, also known as the Tesla Bot, has been met with scepticism, particularly outside the circle of hardcore Tesla fans.
When first announced, it appeared to be a half-baked idea from Musk, with a dancer disguised as a robot for visual aid. The demo at Tesla AI Day last year was less than impressive, with a very early prototype that could barely walk around and wave at the crowd.
Fast forward to today, the Optimus Gen 2 features all Tesla-designed actuators and sensors and appears much more refined in general.
With this new version, Tesla claims that the robot can now walk 30% faster. While it won’t be breaking speed records anytime soon, it is starting to reach a level of usefulness. The company also claims a 10 kg weight reduction while improving balance.
In the video demonstration, Optimus Gen 2 is seen performing a squat while balancing itself. One of the toughest parts of making a useful humanoid robot is the hands, as they need to be strong enough to support significant weights, yet precise enough to handle delicate objects. Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2 features brand-new hands that seem to be an important upgrade.
Tesla plans to start using the robot in its manufacturing operations soon. Once it has proven its usefulness, Tesla plans to start selling the robot. In a previous update on Optimus, Musk claimed that the “Optimus stuff is extremely underrated.” He said that the demand could be as high as 10 to 20 billion units. He even went as far as “confidently predicting” that Optimus will account for “a majority of Tesla’s long-term value.”
