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Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus Gen 2 shows major improvements

Dec 13, 2023

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The newest Tesla bot prototype, known as Optimus Gen 2, is designed to handle boring, repetitive, and dangerous tasks, according to CEO Elon Musk. The humanoid robot has undergone significant advancements since its introduction in 2021 as Bumblebee.

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At the time, the bot was barely able to walk around and wave at the crowd.

HANGZHOU, CHINA - OCTOBER 3, 2023 - Tesla's humanoid robot "Optimus Prime" is seen during the 2023 Future Life Festival in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, October 3, 2023. (Photo by CFOTO/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.
Reuters

With improvements in its profile, weight reduction, and increased walking speed, Optimus Gen 2 features human-like hands with tactile sensors capable of safely handling delicate objects.

HANGZHOU, CHINA - OCTOBER 3, 2023 - Tesla's humanoid robot "Optimus Prime" is seen during the 2023 Future Life Festival in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, October 3, 2023. (Photo by CFOTO/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.
Reuters

Despite Musk’s claim that Optimus will be more significant than Tesla’s car business, commercial production is still in the distant future, with a steep price point of $20,000.

While early versions may focus on factory tasks, Musk envisions future applications, including running errands for human owners based on voice commands like grocery shopping.

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[JACK ALYMER]

IT’S NOT A PERSON IN A COSTUME ANYMORE – THIS IS THE NEWEST TESLA BOT PROTOTYPE – KNOWN AS “OPTIMUS GEN 2.” C-E-O ELON MUSK SAYS THE PROTOTYPE WILL ONE DAY TAKE BORING TASKS OFF YOUR HANDS.

[ELON MUSK, CEO TESLA]

THE TESLA BOT OPTIMUS IS BASICALLY GOING TO START WITH JUST DEALING WITH WORK THAT IS UH BORING, REPETITIVE, AND DANGEROUS. BASICALLY WHAT IS THE WORK THAT PEOPLE WOULD LEAST LIKE TO DO.

THE HUMANOID ROBOT HAS SEEN SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENTS SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION IN 20-21 AS “BUMBLEBEE.” IN ITS EARLY DEBUT, IT RECEIVED LESS-THAN-STELLAR REVIEWS AS IT AWKWARDLY MOVED ON STAGE TO GREET THE AUDIENCE.

FAST FORWARD 2 GENERATIONS AND TESLA ENGINEERS HAVE SLIMMED ITS PROFILE – REDUCING ITS OVERALL WEIGHT BY 20 POUNDS – EVEN MAKING THE PROTOTYPE WALK 30-PERCENT FASTER. SOME OF THE LATEST OPTIMUS UPGRADES SHOW IMPROVED BALANCE AND BODY CONTROL. OPTIMUS GEN 2 ALSO FEATURES HUMANLIKE HANDS WITH TACTILE SENSORS CAPABLE OF SAFELY HANDLING DELICATE OBJECTS, IN THIS CASE, AN EGG.

[JACK ALYMER]

MUSK EVEN BOLDLY CLAIMS OPTIMUS WILL BE ‘MORE SIGNIFICANT’ THAN TESLA’S CAR BUSINESS. WHILE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION IS STILL FAR OFF – $20,000 IS A STEEP PRICE POINT FOR A GLORIFIED WORKER BEE.