Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a humanoid “Optimus” robot prototype that combines certain AI software and sensors with the Autopilot driving assistance technologies seen in Tesla vehicles. Musk conceded that they had “a man in a suit” last year but promised something far more remarkable today at the opening of Tesla’s 2022 AI Day presentation.
This prototype, according to Musk, can do more than what was shown live, but “the first time it worked without a connection was today on stage.”
Musk predicted a price of “probably less than $20,000” and subsequently noted in a Q&A session that Tesla is particularly excellent at creating the AI and actuator required for robots based on its expertise making drive units for electric automobiles.
Musk said that this would assist it in getting capable robots into production and would begin by testing them inside its plants.
He claimed that the distinction between Tesla’s design and other “quite amazing humanoid robot demos” is that Tesla’s Optimus is designed for mass manufacturing in “millions” of units and is very competent. A crew of employees dragged a non-walking prototype offstage behind him as he stated this.
Tesla’s robot prototype is seen unsteadily stepping on stage, with several exposed wires and connections.
Initially, the stage’s rear doors opened to show a deconstructed Optimus called “Bumble C” who went forward and performed a “raise the ceiling” dance motion. Musk said that they wanted to keep it safe and avoid having it “fell flat on its face” on stage. (If possible, prevent another Cybertruck sledgehammer incident.)
Following that, the company showed a few video clips of the robot doing various jobs, such as picking up boxes.
The Tesla team then displayed another prototype of Optimus with its body completely assembled but not entirely functioning – it was put up on a platform and waved to the audience, demonstrating the range of mobility of its wrist and hand. This machine (which was walked out and finally carried off by a team of employees) still had actuators, a battery pack, and everything else but “wasn’t quite ready to walk,” according to Musk.
A “near-production” prototype Optimus robot waves to the audience.
Image: Tesla
A “near-production” prototype Optimus robot waves to the audience.
They disclosed that the first robot displayed was created in the last six months. They expect to “get this done over the next few months… or years” after discussing the challenges they would face in moving from the prototype to a workable design.
Engineers anticipate overcoming other design challenges “over the next several months… or years.”
It comes with a 2.3kWh battery pack, a Tesla SoC, and Wi-Fi and LTE connection. Demonstrations focusing on the robot’s joints, such as its hands, wrists, or knees, demonstrated how they processed data for each joint, then searched for common regions in each design to create a way employing just six separate actuators.
Engineers believe the human-like hands are a “Biologically Inspired Design” that will allow them to pick up things of diverse shapes and sizes, carry a 20-point bag, and have a “precise grip” on minuscule pieces.
The Autopilot software from Tesla’s automobiles was transferred to the bot and retooled to function in the new body and surroundings. Tesla Motion recorded individuals doing real-world operations like as lifting a box and then repeated the motions with Optimus using inverse kinematics. Then “online motion adaptation” is used to make these tasks less rigid and able to be adjusted to accommodate for an unstructured environment.
A slide from Tesla’s AI day presentation depicting the Optimus robot’s components.
Image: Tesla
The CPU, battery pack, actuators, and hands of the Tesla Optimus robot are all broken down.
“It’ll be a profound shift for humanity as we know it,” Musk said. He goes on to add that Optimus has the potential to enhance economic production by “two orders of magnitude.”
Musk initially revealed the “Tesla Bot” during last year’s AI Day, saying that it would be “friendly” and could improve the company’s assembly line and manufacturing operations.
Musk has previously told supporters not to expect the prototype to resemble the shiny black-and-white depiction initially unveiled at last year’s event.
However, there has been no lack of enthusiasm, with Musk describing the robot as “the most important product development we’re doing this year” and predicting that it would be “more substantial than the automobile industry over time.”
Future uses might include cooking, gardening, or even “catgirl” sex partners, according to Musk, who claims that manufacturing could begin as early as next year.
Experts in robotics advised against placing too much faith in Musk’s statements in the days preceding up to AI Day. Other companies are far further advanced in building robots that can walk, run, and even leap, but none claim to be close to replacing human work.
Tesla’s past is littered with fantastical concepts that never materialised, such as a solar-powered Supercharger network, battery swapping, and robotic snake-style chargers, so it’s anyone’s guess if a production-ready Tesla Bot will ever see the light of day. But Musk’s determination has pushed the company to where it is now.
The unveiling of a prototype version of the robot would undoubtedly buttress Musk’s assertions that Tesla is “the world’s largest robotics firm.”
