The humanoid robot dubbed Optimus moved autonomously on stage without tethers.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Space X, unveiled on stage at the event Tesla AI Day 2022, the prototype of Optimus humanoid robot. The latter shares some software and intelligent sensors (AI) with the driver assistance functions and the autopilot of Tesla vehicles.
A “competent” robot for mass production
At the start of the event, Elon Musk ironically admitted that they had used “a guy in a suit” last year when presenting the Tesla Bot (no kidding…), but promised something much more impressive for the Tesla AI Day 2022. The result is a humanoid robot called Optimus (in reference to Optimus Prime?) which you can see the presentation below:
According to the CEO of Tesla, this prototype can do much more than what was shown at the event broadcast live, but it was “literally the first time the robot has operated untethered”. The company showed some video clips of the robot performing other tasks like picking up boxes. Elon Musk also clarified that a production model could be marketed at a price “probably less than 20,000 dollars”.
Later, during a press conference, Musk explained that Tesla was well-honed for develop the AI and actuators needed for robotics, thanks to the experience acquired in the production of its electric vehicles. He said it would help the brand put robots into production to start testing them in their own factories.
Also according to Musk, the difference between Tesla’s prototype design and other “very impressive humanoid robot demonstrations” is that theOptimus is designed for mass production, on the order of “million units”, and to be “competent”.
During the presentation, the Tesla team also unveiled another prototype ofOptimus with a version “very close to the production model”. The latter’s body was fully assembled, but not fully functional, as it rested on a stand and “wasn’t quite ready to walk”. The robot then waved to the audience, showing the range of motion of its wrist and hand.