On the evening of December 12, local time, Tesla CEO Elon Musk released the latest ** of the humanoid robot Optimus, which disclosed that the second-generation Optimus robot (Gen 2) will be released in December 2023, with a 30% increase in walking speed and improved balance and body control. This is less than 3 months after the release of the first generation of Optimus's "embodied intelligence end-to-end solution"**It has only been 9 months since the first generation of Optimus was launched.
According to **, the second-generation Optimus is equipped with actuators and sensors designed by Tesla, a 2-degree-of-freedom drive neck, a faster-responding 11-degree-of-freedom dexterous hand, a tactile sensor (10 fingers), an actuator integrated electronics and wiring harness, a foot force torque sensor, and an articulated toe.
In addition, the second-generation Optimus has achieved a number of significant performance improvements: 30% faster walking, 10kg lighter, improved balance and total body control.
It can be seen from ** that the second-generation Optimus robot walks more flexibly, can easily complete squatting and standing movements, and can accurately grab, pick up, and put down eggs, and the ability to manipulate objects has been significantly improved.
This time, Tesla did not disclose the specific method of weight loss of the second-generation Optimus, only stating that "there is no (functional performance) sacrifice in weight loss". Open source** believes that humanoid robots carry limited power, and need to reduce weight and increase battery life by using lightweight materials. The use of lightweight materials can improve the load and flexibility of the robot, and help the humanoid robot to advance at the advanced levelPEEK is a high-end engineering plastic, with a specific strength of about 8 times that of aluminum alloy, which is an excellent solution for lightweighting.
From the release of Optimus in August 2021, to the debut of the Optimus prototype at Tesla's second AI Day in 2022, to multiple upgrades since 2023, the iteration speed of Tesla's humanoid robots has been getting faster and faster. It is understood that Optimus is expected to be delivered in 3 to 5 years, with production of millions of units and sales of nearly $20,000.
Regarding the positioning of humanoid robots, Musk said that the initial positioning is to replace people in repetitive and boring and dangerous work, but the long-term goal is to make it serve thousands of households, such as cooking, taking care of the elderly, mowing lawns, etc.
Musk believes that Optimus is grossly undervalued. He said that robots are of great significance to social development, which can not only help everyone live a more relaxed and prosperous life, but also reduce labor costs and contribute to economic development. According to Musk's calculations, the demand for Optimus robots is as high as 10 billion to 20 billion units. Musk believes that Optimus will account for the majority of Tesla's long-term value.
Affected by this news, on December 13, the A-share robot sector moved up, Fengguang Precision, Jike shares rose by more than 20%, Juneng shares rose by more than 13%, Dingzhi Technology, Julun Intelligence, Yinfei Storage, Keli Sensing and other shares rose to the limit.
Domestically, since November, good news about the robot track has been coming out. At the policy level, the "Guiding Opinions on the Innovation and Development of Humanoid Robots" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposes that by 2025, breakthroughs will be made in the key technologies of humanoid robots, and the whole machine products will reach the international advanced level and achieve mass production.
At the industrial level, a number of technology companies have successively launched new robot products. Kepler launched the "Pioneer Series" general humanoid robot, and Shenzhen Kaihong and Leju Robotics launched the Kaihongos humanoid robot. Huawei has entered the humanoid robot track through software system empowerment, and is expected to accelerate the landing and application of domestic robots in the future.
According to the "Humanoid Robot Technology Patent Analysis Report", China has applied for a total of 6,618 humanoid robot technology patents, which is the country with the largest number of applications for humanoid robot technology patents.
Some analysts believe that Tesla suddenly released the first image of the second-generation Optimus robot, and its research and development progress has greatly exceeded market expectations, and 2024 is expected to become the first year of mass production of humanoid robots.
Research institutions pointed out that the barriers to the robot industry are high, especially the high requirements for the integration of enterprise capital, technology and resources. Based on the world's 8 billion people, the ceiling of the robot industry is also very high, and the entire industrial chain is very long. "At present, the robot industry is in the stage of moving from 0 to 1. In the future, the robot industry is expected to become a 'long slope and thick snow' track that surpasses the previous consumer electronics-Apple industry chain and Tesla-electric vehicle industry chain. ”
Some institutions said that under the catalysis of artificial intelligence, with the combination of humanoid robots and artificial intelligence models, humanoid robots will gradually have their own learning and Xi capabilities, and its versatility and generalization will be significantly improved, such as interaction with people.
In addition, there is a significant positive correlation between robot density and the aging population. With the advancement of population aging, the proportion of the population of labor age will decrease, the labor cost will increase to a certain extent, and there is a certain labor gap. At present, the acceleration of China's aging trend will also drive the increase in the demand for robot market.
Comprehensive report by Beijing Business Daily.