Tesla has released a new generation of humanoid robots, "Optimus Gen 2", which should be able to take over repetitive tasks for humans.
Optimus Prime, also known as the Tesla Robot, isn't taken seriously by many people outside of the more die-hard Tesla fans, and for good reason.
When it was first announced, it appeared to be an immature idea from CEO Elon Musk, with a dancer disguised as a robot for visual aids. That didn't help that the demo at last year's Tesla AI Day wasn't impressive.
At the time, Tesla had a very early prototype that didn't look much like it. It can barely walk around and wave to the crowd. That's about it.
But we noticed that the idea behind this project made sense. Of course, everyone knows the value of humanoid robots, which may be versatile enough to cheaply replace human labor, but many doubt that this will be possible in the short term.
Tesla believes this is possible by leveraging its AI work on self-driving car projects and its expertise in batteries and electric motors. The company argues that its vehicles are already robots on wheels. Now, it just needs to take shape on them so that it can replace humans in some tasks.
We did note that this project gained credibility through an update at Tesla's 2023 shareholder meeting earlier this year.
At that time, Tesla showed several more advanced prototypes and began to perform practically useful tasks.
In September, we got another Optimus Prime update. In that report, Tesla said that Optimus is now being trained end-to-end with a neural network that is capable of performing new tasks, such as classifying objects autonomously.
Today, Tesla released a new update to the Optimus program. This time the new generation of humanoid robot prototype Optimus Gen 2 was introduced, and this version of the robot now has all the Tesla-designed actuators and sensors.
Overall, it also appears more refined :
Tesla says that with this new version, the robot can walk 30% faster. According to **, it won't break the speed record anytime soon, but it's starting to get into the useful range.
The company also claims to have lost 10 kilograms of weight while improving balance.
In the demo, the Optimus Gen 2 can be seen performing squats while maintaining its own balance.
One of the most difficult parts of making a useful humanoid robot is the hands. They need to be strong enough to support heavier weights, while also being precise enough to handle delicate objects.
The Tesla Optimus Gen 2 features a brand new pointer that looks like a major upgrade:
The company said it plans to start using robots in its own manufacturing operations soon. Once it has proven its utility, Tesla plans to start selling robots.
In a previous update on Optimus, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that "the Optimus stuff is extremely underrated." The CEO said that the demand could be as high as 10 billion to 20 billion units.
He even "confidently**" that Optimus Prime will account for "the majority of Tesla's long-term value."
*: Brain-computer network.