Tesla has shown major advances in its Optimus humanoid robot prototype, at least as seen in a video. This latest version is called Optimus Gen 2, and it brings design and functionality improvements.
The Optimus bot, a centerpiece of Tesla's AI venture, comes with a slimmer silhouette with a 10kg weight reduction. This design contributes to its improved flexibility and balance.
The video, featuring two Optimus robots dancing to electronic music, demonstrates the robot's enhanced mobility capabilities.
A key focus of the new Optimus Gen 2 is its refined haptic capabilities. The robot is now equipped with a sense of touch on all fingers, allowing sensitive manipulation of objects. This feature is highlighted as the robot carries an egg, shifts it between its hands and gently places it on a table. This advance marks a major step from the robot's initial demonstration last year and its subsequent ability to sort building blocks by color.
There's a new bot in town 🤖
Check this out (until the very end)!https://t.co/duFdhwNe3K pic.twitter.com/8pbhwW0WNc
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 13, 2023
Tesla's ambition for Optimus is to be able to take over repetitive or dangerous tasks from humans. The robot's improved features, including a 30% increase in walking speed and articulated toe segments that mirror the geometry of the human foot, are steps toward achieving this goal. New electric motors and torque sensing also boost the robot's overall performance.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has been the driving force behind the Optimus project. Despite initial skepticism, the robot's rapid development and apparent advances in design and functionality proved a lot to the tech community. Musk has expressed high hopes for the project in the past, suggesting Optimus could eventually overtake Tesla's automaker in value.
Tesla's approach to Optimus, incorporating neural networks and leveraging its expertise in artificial intelligence, electric motors and batteries, distinguishes it from other humanoid robots based on rule-based systems. The company plans to bring the robot to its production lines and eventually make it available for sale.
I know a few dozen professions that employ millions of people worldwide, who will lose their jobs after this primitive robot. Until they lose them, let them calmly crawl in front of a mobile screen, watch a few videos on Tik-Tok, make a face and everything will be fine.